Doppelgangers
© Nick Ballón and Nelly Ben Hayoun Doppelgangers is a Feature length documentary that will be shown as world's premiere at the SXSW Film and TV Festival (8-16 March 2024). This project was funded by the Sundance Institute and The BFI doc Society Fund.
The project and film investigates new possible diasporic collective futures and it is also a scientific experiment and paper which will be presented at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in October 2024. The film draws on the experience of diasporas to challenge the commercialisation of the moon at a time when the NASA Artemis manned mission is planned for the end of this year, it brings together the world of epigenetics and space and space exploration. It features people like Michio Kaku and other quantum physicists and it is about the future of humanity in space with a diasporic, queer eco-feminist lens.
As part of the filming, Ballón spent a few days with the Doppelgangers at a secret cave in Bilbao, at Astroland. Nick lived, trained, slept and behaved like an astronaut. In full immersion, Nick Ballon shot a beautiful photo essay documenting his experience, while the crew was filming the Analog Space Mission part of the feature film. His work will soon be released and featured as part of the wider project.
