Happy Birthday (2022)

Bianca celebrates her 22nd birthday in a small flat in a brutalist neighbourhood on the outskirts of Moscow. To the digital world, Bianca is Electa, known on social media for her touching dance performances and her obsession with the colour white. She was born in Norilsk, Siberia, one of the most polluted cities in the world, and is part of the international group of young people who gravitate to Radio Esperanza Libre, a podcast channel founded by Anita Lopez, a young environmentalist speaker based in Argentina. Anita and Electa met by chance on the internet because, in addition to their shared interest in environmental issues, they share a curious date of birth: 29 February. Electa’s network of virtual connections becomes the only possible escape route for Bianca, at a time when climate change is unfortunately not the only urgency around her. The podcast of Monday 28 February 2022 is an opportunity for Electa to raise a cry for help.