Already a regular at Curtas at this point, having previously won the Documentary Grand Prix in 2012 with “A Comunidade”, artist Salomé Lamas returns to the experimental competition with “Extraction: the Raft of the Medusa”. Part of a larger project, which also includes a publication, an installation, and another film, this work proposes a meditation on the massive reorganization of humanity on the planet, promoted by the consolidation of modern western capitalism. In a world where the evolution of the highly technological contemporary societies is dependent upon the constant industrial exploitation and extraction of the planet’s natural resources, it is urgent to think about their environmental and social impact. “Extraction: the Raft of the Medusa” asserts itself as a critical essay on the conditions that lead to the current colonial paradigm of contemporary societies, with a concurrent speculative tone about an eventual dystopic future for humanity. Salomé Lamas warns of the current state of emergency in which we live, with new environmental, social and economic policies being necessary to thwart the catastrophic future we are heading towards. (PD)