How to Kill a Cloud
Insightful and dryly comic documentary about a Finnish female scientist trying to create rain in the United Arab Emirates desert.
What if we could control the clouds? It’s a question that energizes the Finnish scientist Hannele Korhonen. She is specialized in geo-engineering: intervening in natural processes to influence the climate. A research grant of 1.5 million dollars, provided by the United Arab Emirates, offers her an opportunity to conduct a study into the artificial generation of rain in the desert.
The camera observes Korhonen, always from some distance. We see her at a conference, joining conversations with her somewhat awkward sense of humour, and making a presentation for the ambassador. The life of a scientist, it turns out, contains a great deal of networking and pitching. However, when political interests start playing a more pronounced role, we see her doubts growing. Progress in science requires funding, and funding always comes with political interests. HOW TO KILL A CLOUD is a story about the tension between advancing the real-world impacts of science and the political and ethical challenges posed by actually trying to get results.