new Earth is an experimental documentary investigating colonialist ideologies and decolonial strategies through the theme of flight – inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

In 2010, British astrophysicist, Stephen Hawking warned, “If aliens ever visit us, I think the outcome would be much as when Christopher Columbus first landed in America, which didn’t turn out very well for the Native Americans.” Hawking’s admonition names settler colonialism as the biggest threat to life on Earth while, simultaneously, deflects this fear onto potential alien visitors and minimizes current existential crises on Earth.

new Earth unpacks Hawking’s prognosis by critically examining cultural metaphors, doctrines, and practices connected to colonialism and flight. This motif branches into three distinct but interconnected sections: outer space and the goal of multi-planetary living, commercial aviation and the impact of the Transportation Security Administration, and human impact on birds and insects, including classification, habitat destruction, and species decline.