Latest news with #ChristianFrei
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Covid ‘lab leak' theory isn't just a rightwing conspiracy – pretending that's the case is bad for science
More than five years after the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, its origins remain a subject of intense – and often acrimonious – debate among scientists and the wider public. There are two broad, competing theories. The natural-origins hypotheses suggest the pandemic began when a close relative of Sars-CoV-2 jumped from a wild animal to a human through the wildlife trade. In contrast, proponents of lab-leak theories argue that the virus emerged when Chinese scientists became infected through research-associated activities. A perplexing aspect of the controversy is that prominent scientists continue to publish studies in leading scientific journals that they say provide compelling evidence for the natural-origins hypotheses. Yet rather than resolving the issue, each new piece of evidence seems to widen the divide further. In many parts of the world, including the US, France and Germany, public opinion is increasingly shifting towards lab-leak theories, despite the lack of definitive evidence. In other words, a growing number of people believe that research-associated activities are just as likely, if not more so, to have caused the pandemic. A new documentary by the Swiss film-maker Christian Frei, titled Blame: Bats, Politics and a Planet Out of Balance, places the blame for this divide squarely on the so-called 'rightwing fever swamp', including the likes of Steve Bannon and Fox News. According to Frei, it promotes misinformation and conspiracy theories about the origins of Covid-19 for political gain, thereby confusing and misleading the public. As a participant in the film and a journalist who has spent the past five years writing a book on the origins of emerging diseases, I must respectfully disagree. At its core, the controversy is not a left-right issue, but a symptom of deeply entrenched public distrust of science. By framing it along the political divide – and by cherrypicking extreme examples to suit its narrative, the documentary does a disservice to the public interest. This is not to deny that the question of the pandemic's origins has been politicised from the outset. It was indeed challenging for left-leaning scholars such as the biosafety expert Filippa Lentzo of King's College London to speak openly about the plausibility of lab-leak scenarios, because they risked being perceived as aligning with a rightwing agenda. However, many outspoken left-leaning researchers like Lentzos have been key drivers of lab-leak theories. While researching my book, I encountered numerous credible and well-respected experts on emerging diseases who also believe the question of Covid-19 origins is far from settled. Their views are grounded in decades of professional expertise. Far from a rightwing fever swamp, these scholars have lent scientific legitimacy to the debate. They are not convinced that the studies published in leading scientific journals supporting natural-origins theories are as compelling as the authors have claimed. Plus the studies are based on limited data as a result of China's lack of transparency and limited political will to investigate, making significant uncertainties unavoidable. Few people would claim with absolute certainty to know how the pandemic began. Both sides are gathering evidence to support their case, yet neither can fully rule out the possibility put forward by the other. This lack of clarity is not unlike what we see with most emerging diseases. For instance, we still don't know how the devastating Ebola outbreak in west Africa began in 2014. The core issue behind the Covid-19 origins controversy is fundamentally a crisis of trust rather than a mere information problem. It reflects longstanding public anxieties over virus research. Strong emotions such as fear and distrust play a crucial role in human cognition. Simply presenting more facts doesn't always lead to a converging of opinions – and can sometimes even widen the divide. Indeed, the storm of public distrust in virus research had been gathering long before the pandemic. In 2011, two research teams sparked public outcry by announcing the creation of more transmissible variants of H5N1 (bird flu). This led to a pause in US federal funding for research that makes viruses more transmissible or virulent, known as gain-of-function studies, and the establishment of a new regulatory framework. However, a profound sense of unease persisted, driven by the perception that virologists, funding agencies and research institutions had failed to sufficiently address public concerns and anxieties, coupled with a lack of transparency and inclusiveness in decision-making. The Covid-19 origins controversy sailed straight into the middle of this brewing storm. Did the virus originate from the kind of gain-of-function research that critics had long warned about? How might even the slightest possibility of this have influenced the behaviours of virologists, funding agencies and research institutions – prompting them to protect their reputations and preserve political backing? Some scientists assert evidence supporting natural-origins hypotheses with excessive confidence and show little tolerance for dissenting views. They have appeared eager to shut down the debate, repeatedly and since early 2020. For instance, when their work was published in the journal Science in 2022, they proclaimed the case closed and lab-leak theories dead. Even researchers leaning towards natural origins theories, such as virus ecologist Vincent Munster of Rocky Mountains Laboratories in Hamilton, Montana, told me they lamented that some of their colleagues defend their theories like a religion'. No one embodies the crisis of trust in science more than Peter Daszak, the former president of EcoHealth Alliance. A series of missteps on his part has helped to fuel public distrust. In early 2020, for instance, he organised a statement by dozens of prominent scientists in the Lancet, which strongly condemned 'conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin', without disclosing his nearly two-decade collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology as a conflict of interest. Similarly, he denies that his own collaboration with the Wuhan lab involved gain-of-function research, even though Shi Zhengli – the Chinese scientist who led the bat-borne coronavirus studies – has openly acknowledged that the lab's work produced at least one genetically modified virus more virulent than its parental strain. (That work is not directly relevant to the origins of Covid-19.) The documentary claims that attacks on EcoHealth Alliance and the spread of lab-leak conspiracy theories have fuelled distrust in science. In reality, it's the other way round: public distrust in science, fuelled by the unresolved H5N1 gain-of-function controversy and by lack of transparency and humility from scientists such as Daszak, has driven scepticism and increased support for lab-leak theories. Such errors of judgment and inappropriate behaviour, not uncommon among scientists and not limited to the Covid-19 origins debate, can affect how the public perceives scientists and the trustworthiness of their claims, and how people interpret evidence. As the social scientist Benjamin Hurlbut of Arizona State University puts it: the problem isn't an anti-science public, but rather a scientific community that labels a sceptical public grappling with legitimate trust issues as anti-science or conspiracy theorists. A recent Science editorial states that 'scientists should better explain the scientific process and what makes it so trustworthy'. This reflects the persistent influence of the traditional 'deficit model' of science communication, which assumes that trust can be built by providing mere information. But the public's relationship with science goes beyond understanding facts or methods. Trust cannot be manufactured on demand. It must be cultivated over time through transparency, accountability, humility and relationship-building. Scientists must do more to earn it. Jane Qiu is an award-winning independent science writer in Beijing. The reporting was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Co-Production Boost and Sturdy Funding System Fuel a Healthy Crop of Swiss Films at Visions du Réel
Those looking for homegrown talent and stories at the largest documentary film festival in Switzerland, Visions du Réel, will be spoiled for choice in 2025. This year's edition, which runs April 4-13, features a whopping 31 Swiss productions or co-productions, including the festival's opening film, Christian Frei's 'Blame.' Veteran Frei, the first-ever Swiss filmmaker to be nominated for an Oscar back in 2002 for 'War Photography,' stands alongside a crop of new talent in feature debuts such as Agostina Di Luciano and Leon Schwitter's 'The World Upside Down.' On the healthy crop of Swiss productions and co-productions this year, Charlotte Ducos, documentary and marketing strategies consultant at the country's national agency Swiss Films, says it is 'incredibly important to have Swiss films across the program and to have the opening film of the festival not only be Swiss but also a very expected title by a renowned filmmaker.' Ducos also emphasizes how 43% of Swiss films are currently co-productions, a testament to the importance of collaborating with their European neighbors such as Italy, Germany and Austria. Last year, Switzerland was the Country in Focus at Cannes's Marché du Film, another possible booster. More from Variety Diana Taurasi Docuseries Set at Amazon Prime Video Following WNBA Star and Olympic Gold Medalist's Life and Career (EXCLUSIVE) Sundance Award-Winning Documentary 'Zodiac Killer Project' Acquired by Music Box (EXCLUSIVE) COVID Conspiracies, RFK Jr. Discussed by Christian Frei as 'Blame' Opens Visions du Réel: 'In a World Where Nothing Is True, Everything Becomes Possible' Frei praised the support available to filmmakers in his home country, saying that he is 'deeply grateful for the subsidy system we established in Switzerland.' It was thanks to that that the director raised enough to spend the time needed on such an ambitious project as his denouncement of COVID-19 misinformation. 'I was able to do so without having to speculate on box office or commercial interest,' he highlights. Financing-wise, Switzerland offers various sources of funding at national and regional levels and from the private sector. The main avenue is the Film Investment Refund Switzerland (PICS), which primarily focuses on Swiss-international co-productions and is administered by the Federal Office of Culture. PICS refunds between 20-40% of eligible film production expenses if a project shoots for a minimum of five days in the country. With topics that range from AI's relationship with human creativity to the woes and joys of modern fatherhood, the Swiss films at this year's Visions du Réel look into the world of yesterday, today and tomorrow through classic journalistic investigations, hybrid docu-fiction, and first-person narratives to showcase the best of national talent. With such a wealth of titles, Variety has selected a handful of films to look out for, which you can find below: 'Blame,' dir. Christian Frei Frei, who made history as the first Oscar-nominated Swiss filmmaker with his searing investigation of war photography in the eponymous 2002 doc, returns to Visions du Réel with just as controversial of a proposition: a deep dive into the wave of misinformation that turned the scientists fighting the spread of SARS and subsequent COVID-19 pandemic into social pariahs. The festival's opening film, 'Blame,' poses a vital investigation into the relationship between politics, science and the media. Rise and Shine handles world sales. 'The World Upside Down,' dir. Agostina Di Luciano and Leon Schwitter This Swiss-Argentinian co-production taps into magical realism, mysticism and popular folklore to blend documentary and fiction as it follows the inhabitants of a small village nestled in the Argentine countryside. It is there that Omar, a village elder and farmer, witnesses a strange light in the sky. Curious, he embarks on an inquisitive journey alongside his grandson, just as Roxane and Lily prepare a holiday home for a family in Buenos Aires, where they make a discovery that will open a path to new forms of knowledge. Indox Films handles festival sales. 'Wider Than the Sky,' dir. Valerio Jalongo Veteran Italian filmmaker Jalongo, whose work has played widely at festivals such as Venice and Rome and who has collaborated with the likes of Brendan Gleeson and Valeria Golino, returns to Visions du Réel with a film looking at how AI interacts with human emotion and creativity. 'Wider Than the Sky' parades scientific labs and artists' studios with those working close to the intersection of AI and neuroscience to pose the question: can AI positively shape the future of humanity? 'Colostrum,' dir. Sayaka Mizuno Mizuno's 2016 mid-length documentary 'Kawasaki Keirin' won the Prix du Jury at Visions du Réel for most innovative Swiss film of all competitive sections. She returns to the festival with 'Colostrum,' a look at the relationship between a farmer in the Swiss Alps and his seasonal volunteer, a thirty-something woman from the city who is passionate about animal welfare and ecofeminism. The film zooms into the characters' differences to find their commonalities, as well as pay homage to the rhythms of traditional farming. Stranger Films Sales handles world sales. 'Dads,' dir. David Maye After screening his feature debut 'Les Grandes Traversées' at Visions du Réel in 2017, Maye is back at the festival with a close look at modern fatherhood. The film follows four fathers or fathers-to-be as they talk through expectations, fears and taboos around fatherhood, such as questions about abandonment, raising daughters, and perpetuating harmful masculine stereotypes. 'Sons of Icarus,' dir. Daniel Kemény On his third feature documentary, Kermény goes personal by sharing the story of his family: the director is European, and his brother is Cuban, with their father having left West Germany in the 1970s to escape the ghosts of fascism and finally settling in Cuba years later. In 'Sons of Icarus,' the filmmaker sets off to North America in search of his family, eventually struggling to connect with his reserved father. Through the medium of film, Kermény finds a space to mend old wounds and tell a visual story where words would fail. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
COVID Conspiracies, RFK Jr. Discussed by Christian Frei as ‘Blame' Opens Visions du Réel: ‘In a World Where Nothing Is True, Everything Becomes Possible'
While keeping up with news reports in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oscar-nominated Swiss director Christian Frei began to experience a feeling that 'those who warned us would eventually be the ones who are blamed.' This sentiment, which he calls an 'epiphany,' is at the heart of 'Blame,' which opens Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel on Friday. 'Blame' follows three scientists who researched the origin of the SARS epidemic that first broke out in China in 2003, Linfa Wang, Zhengli Shi and Peter Daszak. The latter is the former president of EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit organization that supported various programs on global health and pandemic prevention, and, in January of this year, was entirely defunded and debarred by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services following an eight-month investigation on its 'failure to adequately monitor the activities of the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).' More from Variety Firelight Media Appoints Loira Limbal as President and CEO (EXCLUSIVE) 'Gone Girls' Director Liz Garbus on Returning to the Long Island Murders and Focusing on Victims Instead of 'Damaged' Serial Killers Documentary 'Number One on the Call Sheet,' About the History of Black Hollywood, Aims to be a 'Blueprint for Generations to Come' Frei's film begins with the first SARS outbreak in 2003, chronicling how the trio of scientists would come to spend the next two decades trying to stop subsequent pandemics just to be then discredited when disinformation campaigns and fake news on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread. On the sensitivity of the subject of 'Blame,' Frei tells Variety he became 'much more comfortable' once he decided to approach it as a 'classic journalistic story.' 'I also wanted it to be told through the empathetic lens of documentary,' he adds. 'I wanted to give the subjects room so their voices would be heard but also resist simplification, which is not the easiest from a commercial point of view.' The director recognizes that resisting simplification often dampens a film's commercial chances but emphasizes he has a 'huge advantage' of not only working in a country with a healthy film funding system that allows for a director to retain creative control of their film but also being a producer, writer, and editor. 'I am 100% in control of all my features and am very grateful I'm able to do that.' On being attracted to controversial subjects such as the ethics of war photography as in his Oscar-nominated 2001 film 'War Photography' or space tourism in 2009's 'Space Tourists,' Frei says these are 'the tectonics of humanity.' 'This is where I will always go. I grew up in a middle-class family and never had any reason to embark from war zones to space, but I am drawn to these stories. What I'm proud of is that my films are getting old in a nice way. They are still timely and valid after 30 years.' When asked if 'Blame' will also retain its timeliness, the director says he believes so as the film is not only about the COVID-19 pandemic but about 'how we are all seduced by screaming narratives.' 'The more established media is becoming indistinguishable from the click-baiting internet,' he continues. 'I am trying as much as possible to tell a story that might surprise people because what they encounter are real people, not sinister guys plotting in their labs. We often don't understand what they are doing, that's true, but they are still human beings. Do they make mistakes? I'm not saying they never do, but still, we should listen to them.' 'Blame' ends with President Trump's recent appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services. Kennedy Jr., who authored 'Wuhan Cover-Up: How U.S. Health Officials Conspired with the Chinese Military to Hide the Origins of COVID-19,' famously spread conspiracy theories on the pandemic, including a theory that the COVID-19 virus was engineered in Wuhan and spared certain ethnic minorities. 'I was not happy at all that he was finally confirmed but was also not very surprised,' says Frei of RFK Jr.'s appointment. 'A majority in Trump's cabinet understood the dynamic that [former White House chief strategist] Steve Bannon established: uncertainty is not our enemy; it is our friend. This is an opportunity for them. I'm not saying COVID is the only reason, but could Trump have returned to the White House without it? I doubt it.' The director is also quick to point out how this mindset is not exclusive to the U.S. but is also widely spreading in Europe and across the world. 'Far-right parties in Europe are getting stronger and stronger. Is democracy in bad shape? I sometimes feel so, and I feel we need to find a way back to healthily disagreeing. This film does not offer a truth. What I am saying is: let's try to find our way back to evidence-based worldviews and debates because, in a world where nothing is true anymore, everything becomes possible.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
