THE SECOND LIFE
With millions of species threatened with extinction, three world-class museum taxidermists prepare for the European Taxidermy Championship, trying to remind us what we are about to lose forever.
The world is at a turning point. Human impact threatens millions of species with extinction - with the dramatic loss of biodiversity endangering the existence of human kind itself. However, there is one obscure profession that is at the forefront of reminding us of what we are about to lose forever: Maurizio, Robert and Christophe are three world-class taxidermists working at the natural history museums of Berlin, Rome and Brussels. Their mission? Giving the animals they prepare a voice to speak out against human kind’s war on nature. Although they have never met, they share the conviction that preserved animals can help to overcome the gap between society and nature. The three are shown preparing for the 2018 European Taxidermy Championships, the most important competition of their careers. While this is the last chance for Maurizio before retiring, Christophe is participating for the first time. For Robert, the title of European Champion is all that’s missing from his collection of international awards. And as the three get ready for the Championship in Salzburg and with their profession becoming increasingly threatened with extinction itself, another voice rises from the dead to give humans one last warning.