TerraForma is the story of the remote volcanic island of Ascension, which sat smouldering for a million years largely devoid of life, until its radical transformation by process of 'terraforming' into a tropical paradise.

But there is more to this island than meets the eye. The Victorian naturalists who transformed this island reshaped the ecology to fit the political and economic demands of their society - but only at the expense of what existed before it. The new environment, seemingly a paradise, was in fact a mirage. A mirror image of their ambition, their empire, and their understanding of the world. And as such it was doomed to fail. Many believe that future plans to geo-engineer our planet, or terraform others, would simply follow the same pattern.

With the help of experts in the fields of geo-engineering, ecology, politics, and design, TerraForma explores the lessons we could learn from Ascension Island. And what its story may mean for our planet, in a future where terraformed landscapes and human-engineered environments may come to warp our understanding of 'nature' itself.

Dir. Kevin Brennan, Laurence Durkin | 62min | 2023 | Ireland

"The images are poetic, showcasing a stunning variety of flora and fauna; people are rarely seen on screen, their absence adding a touch of eeriness to the atmosphere" - Guardian

"In a future where terraforming landscapes are becoming more normal, could human-designed environments forever distort the idea of nature?" - Docville

"an intriguing look at how humans perceive the world, are connected to our environment, and the corresponding influence our environment has on us" - EMRO

"serves both as a historical account and a speculative inquiry into the potential and challenges of terraforming on a global scale" - Video Librarian