A land that no longer resembles itself. The thousand-year-old, evergreen monkey puzzle trees have almost been replaced by pine forests. Across the ocean, in Brussels, the same trees adorn courtyards, streets and squares. In the car, a family counts the trees with excitement as the black-and-white frames slide by. How did they become the fashion staple of Western Europe’s petite bourgeoisie?

An experimental short mystery story with historical and personal intonations, which identifies the intersection of colonialism and capitalism in the history of the monkey puzzle tree. The film is set in the culturally opposing Patagonia, where the filmmaker Julián García Long grew up, and in western Belgium. As the filmmaker says: “I confront these images with contemporary scientific images, used by a laboratory to explore plant modification. What can these modes of representation tell us about our times?”

Jury statement: The special mention goes to an intricate and inquisitive work that brings out a little-known story in order to introduce us to another way of looking at how capitalism and colonialism intertwine and work together.