Journey to the Safest Place on Earth

Synopsis

Over the last 60 years, more than 350,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste has been amassed the world over. This material must be deposited for thousands of years in a safe place, i.e. one that will not harm humans or the environment. However, such a repository has yet to be created and the production of nuclear waste continues unabated. Swiss-based nuclear physicist and internationally renowned repository specialist Charles McCombie and some of his most important allies provide director Edgar Hagen with insight into their persistent struggle to find the safest place on earth in order to resolve this grave dilemma.

Director Biography

Edgar Hagen was born in 1958 in Basel. He studied philosophy and German language and literature at the University of Basel and Berlin Free University, where he graduated with an MA in 1987, writing his final dissertation on general ethics. After spending several years as a journalist and a dramatic adviser in the theatre, he began to work as an independent filmmaker in 1989. In 2000 he began lecturing on cinematic and documentary storytelling. He has been a board member of the Swiss Filmmakers Association (ARF/FDS) since 2010 and became head of the documentary film directing department at FOCAL, the Foundation for Professional Training in Cinema and Audiovisual Media) in 2013. He has two sons and lives in Basel.