Observer

Ian Cheney / United States / 2025 / World Premiere / 95 min

A filmmaker has invited a group of scientists to participate in an experiment. He sends them on an adventure around the globe without them knowing where they are going – and without knowing in advance what they are going to do there. A philosophical adventure that confronts them with a dilemma that science and documentary have in common: Can we observe the world without affecting it? 

With a biologist, a geologist, a bioengineer and a quantum physicist on board, we get many possible answers to the question that has haunted philosophers since the ancient Greeks. In his suitcase, Ian Cheney carries a small red wooden square that serves as a frame for the world, allowing participants to describe what they see. And once they get started, there’s hardly a limit to their observations.

‘Observe’ is an eight-chapter adventure from all corners of the world. A poetic and thought-provoking journey into the simple but deeply transformative act of observing. And a film that invites us to find beauty and meaning in even the most mundane places if only we take the time to look.