A screening of AMONG THE PALMS THE BOMB, or: Looking for reflections in the toxic field of plenty. The film investigates the layered and often unsettling histories surrounding the Salton Sea in Southern California.

This highly stressed ecosystem has been rapidly shrinking in recent years, shaped both by global climate change and by long-standing local environmental pressures. Yet its ecological crisis is only one part of the story. The area also served as a major site for US military atomic bomb testing and training during the final stages of the Second World War and throughout the Cold War.

The screening is followed by a conversation with filmmakers Vanja Smiljanić and Lukas Marxt, moderated by Sonic Acts curator Angeliki Tzortzakaki. The screening will be attended by artists and filmmakers Lukas Marxst and Vanja Smiljanić and followed by a conversation on the making of the film with Sonic Acts curator Angeliki Tzortzakaki.

This programme is part of collaboration with Framer Framed and co-organised as part of the exhibition curated by Fabienne Rachmadiev, on display at Framer Framed.

From 20 February to 8 March 2026 part of Sonic Acts Biennial 2026 will take place at Het Documentaire Paviljoen. The Biennial runs from 5 February to 29 March 2026 across Amsterdam, connecting a wide range of artistic practices under the themeMelted for Love.