Film

In the Light of the Sands

2026 · 1h 15m · Documentary

As a bird warden, Kilian spends seven months alone on a barrier island in the Heligoland Bight. His tasks are simple: monitoring wildlife and collecting flotsam. The rich birdlife, extreme weather and ever-changing landscape are conveyed both through imagery and a soundtrack of wind, rain and birdsong. Contact with others is rare, but the intrusion of the outside world is all the more striking. The film’s melancholic atmosphere echoes both solitude and a sense that this fragile sanctuary is deeply at risk. Beyond its precise observations, an essay on climate change and militarisation emerges.

• Kilian HelmbrechtDirector
• Alex HasskerlProducer
• Maja TennstedtEditor

Release date

January 20, 2026

Status

Released

Original language

German

Runtime

1h 15m

Genres

Documentary