Elixir: In the Valley at the End of Time

A search for a cure to what ails us in the Anthropocene, from the award-winning author of Border

In the valley of the Mesta, one of the oldest inhabited rivers in Europe, where the surrounding forests and mountains are a nexus for wild plant gatherers, Kapka Kassabova finds a story with vast resonance for us all. Elixir is an exploration of the deep connections between people, plants and place.

Over several seasons, Kassabova spends time with the people of this magical region. She meets women and men who work in a long lineage of foragers, healers, and mystics. She learns about wild plants and the ancient practice of herbalism, and experiences a symbiotic system where nature and culture have blended for thousands of years. Through her captivating encounters we come to feel the devastating weight of the ecological and cultural disinheritance that the people of this valley have suffered. Yet, in her search for elixir, she also finds reasons for hope. The people of the valley are keepers of a rare knowledge, not only of mountain plants and their properties, but also of how to transform collective suffering into healing.

Immersive and enthralling, Elixir is an urgent and unforgettable call to rethink how we live - in relation to one another, to the Earth, and to the cosmos.