ONLY ON EARTH
Robin Petré / Denmark, Spain, Sweden / 2025 / 93 min / Colour
Wildfires rage across the mountains of southern Galicia. Small, robust wild horses roam freely beneath towering wind turbines. It is the wind itself that carries the flames, making this region one of the most wildfire-prone in Europe. Local ranchers care for the horses, which are essential: by grazing, they keep the underbrush low and help prevent fires. But their numbers are dwindling, and the traditional ways of the ranchers are changing. The documentary brings us close to Pedro, a ten-year-old aspiring cowboy, Cristina, a farmer and firefighter, and Eva, a veterinarian and as much a cowboy as the youths. But the real protagonists are the horses—and the flames. The close-ups of the animals’ watchful eyes and their frantic escapes evoke the terror of the fires. The camera moves dangerously close to the blazes, capturing with overwhelming images and thunderous sound their spectacular, frightening force.
Robin Petré
A Danish director whose work explores the coexistence of humans, animals, and nature, she holds a master’s degree in Documentary Directing from the Doc Nomads program and has been selected for Berlinale Talents and the Sundance Institute. She has also participated in the Nordic Film Lab and the IDFAcademy. Her short Pulse (2016) won an award at DOK Leipzig. Her feature debut, From the Wild Sea (2021), was presented in the Generation section of the Berlinale 2021 and won the Grand Prize at the Global Science Film Festival.
