Antarctica AND the tipping point with Eric Goens, award-winning director of 2050

You may know Eric Goens for his many hit shows in Belgium such as Conclave, but did you know his passion is Antarctica? In this episode, Eric talks about his masterpiece, a documentary called 2050 that takes us on an expedition to Princess Elizabeth Station. Ilham and Eric have a fascinating discussion about experiencing the beauty of Antarctica, seeing the effects of climate change there, and how businesses can play a big role. As Eric puts it “We are the very first generation that knows the problem and has the solution.” Watch for the film in theaters near you in March 2025!

Timestamps

• 1:31 - Where his love of filming came from
• 2:42 - The inspiration for 2050
• 7:50 - Experiencing the beauty of Antarctica
• 10:50 - Antarctica as the barometer of the planet
• 14:19 - Film as an answer to the state of the climate
• 19:46 - How businesses can be more effective in fighting climate change
• 21:50 - Antarctica and its special connection to Belgium
• 26:24 - Filming in an unforgiving landscape 
• 30:15 - Following his passion
• 32:32 - How to watch the 2050 documentary

Eric Goens is a Belgian journalist, reporter, filmmaker and entrepreneur. He is the owner of Bargoens, a production company, and known for many hit television programs in Belgium such as Het huis and Het conclave to name just a few. Eric Goens is about to release a masterpiece called 2050, a documentary that follows renowned scientists as they explore and conduct experiments from Princess Elizabeth Station. Syensqo is proud to be the only sponsor of this incredible film. 

For additional details about the podcast, show notes, and access to resources mentioned during the show, please visit https://www.syensqo.com/en/podcast

Episode Transcript

Ilham Kadri (00:00):
Today, I'm happy to welcome award winning director

(00:04):
Eric Goens to The End is theFuture podcast.
Eric is about to release amasterpiece.
a documentary called 2050 thattakes us on an expedition to
Princess Elizabeth Station inAntarctica.
It follows renounced scientistsas they explore and conduct

(00:26):
experiments from the station.
And of course, thesedocumentaries named 2050 refers
to the year of our planet'stipping points.
And ScienceCo is proud to be onhis side, the one and only
sponsor of this incredible film.
And I'm even more excited tospeak with Eric about it.

(00:48):
Eric, thank you so much forbeing with us.

Eric Goens (00:52):
The pleasure is all mine.

Ilham Kadri (00:56):
Well, thanks.
It's a great pleasure, a greathonor.
And I'd like always to start thepodcast off by asking my guest,
by asking you, where did yourlove of filming entertainment
come from?
And what's made you fall in lovewith storytelling through the
camera?

Eric Goens (01:14):
That's a hard one.
Um, as far as I can remember, atleast that's what people tell
about me, what my parents aretelling.
Um, ever since I started,Walking around and talking.
I was obsessed.
I was like, there's only oneoption.
Later when I'll be tall and big,I'm going to be a journalist.

(01:37):
I'm going to make documentaries.
I'm going to make TV features.
So apparently somethinghappened.
I don't know, uh, somewhereinside the brain that said that
there was never a plan B.
Becoming a doctor or, orwhatever, whoever, there was
just one thing I wanted to makeTV documentaries.

(02:00):
So look at me, 55 years later,it worked out.

Ilham Kadri (02:05):
Well, it's great.
It's TV documentaries, but it'salso, you know, it's a camera
and it's amazing.
And your work up until thispoint has been probably very
different, if it's fair to say.
say that's from 2050.
You've, you've had so many hitshows like Conclave, right?
From it, for instance, and forany of our listeners, maybe who

(02:28):
don't know it, I would reallyinvite you to go and watch it.
Conclave is a brilliant seriesin Belgium, where Eric invites
politicians to a castle to spendthe day with him, you know, and
the New York Times called it theBaechler Experiment.
You know, except it's withpoliticians, Belgian
politicians.
It's clever, it's very funny.

Eric Goens (02:49):
It's very stretchy times, because actually we got a
nomination for the Rose Door,which is, after all, the most
prestigious TV award.
So, um, two days from now, I'llbe in London, being one of the
five nominated programs for theRose Door.
So let's hope and pray.

(03:09):
that, uh, that would be a firstever in my career to capture,
uh, the Rose Door, uh, Monday inLondon.

Ilham Kadri (03:17):
Well, this is great.
And, you know, we wish you allthe best and we'll be watching.
So what inspired you now, Eric,to go, uh, in a different
direction, in this completelydifferent direction?
I've heard you say thatAntarctica was a project of, of
a life, was a project that'shaunted you for a long time.
Can you tell us why?

Eric Goens (03:38):
I was there six, seven years ago to make a
documentary, but a short one.
That's where I met a lot ofpeople who are still there, like
Alain Hubert, the Belgianexplorer, who started up the
whole station in Antarctica.
At that time, I was there totell a different story.
But ever since I was there, Iwas so captivated and so, I

(04:01):
don't know, flabbergasted andblown away by the beauty and all
the problems around the climatethat I told.
myself, listen up, when all issaid and done, that is not now,
but 15, 20 years from now, thatwill be my exclamation point.

(04:22):
But climate became more and moreas a topic, oppressing that I
said, why on earth would I waitanother 10 or 15 or 20 years?
So like.
Two years ago, I was like, youknow what?
I'm going to do it now becauseit's, it's needed now.
There's a lot of opinions.
There's a lot of discussionabout climate and climate

(04:44):
change.
And it's very like, like therest of society.
It's, it's very polarized.
It's very black and white.
And I just know that The bigmoths in between doesn't, just
doesn't know, they know there'sa problem but because of the
polarized discussion, peopletend to, to put it away, to push

(05:05):
it away, I mean if a debate isso heated, They stopped
listening to it.
So that's why I, I, I finallyconcluded that it's needed now.
Because a lot of people want tohear what is going on with the
climate, what the problems are,and, and are ready and open to,
to, to listen to that debate.

(05:28):
Um, so that's a very importantthing about the whole movie.
It's not a typical climatedocumentary.
I mean, in the typicaldefinition of climate
documentaries, there's always avery aggressive, negative,
pessimist.

(05:49):
It's always the end of theplanet as we know it.
And what we want to describe isthe situation as it is, which is
worse than than we expect,actually.
But at the same time, It's notthat we're going to give the
answer, but we are the veryfirst generation that know the
problem and the solution.

(06:09):
I mean, you cannot blame thepeople of the 80s for not doing
anything.
They didn't know there was aproblem, let alone there would
have been a solution.
Around 2000 and something,people knew that there's a
problem, not knowing thesolution, and again, there we
are.
I mean, and, and again, talkingabout 2050, it's not something

(06:29):
that is going to happen like twocenturies from now.
We have to act now, I mean, whatwe say in the, in the movies,
you count.
And all of us count, all of us.
It's not only a company, uh,story or an individual story,
all of us count, all of us havea role to play in, in preventing

(06:52):
that the final tip in 2050 willbe the bad one.
So it's, it's, I don't know, Imean, sorry for not having you
asking more questions, but Imean,

Ilham Kadri (07:07):
my Antarctica

Eric Goens (07:08):
button, I'm gone.

Ilham Kadri (07:09):
Yeah.
And we love it.
That's why we are here.
I'm here to listen.
I loved what you say, Derek.
We are the very, and I'm never,uh, I used to say a sentence,
I'm going to repeat it, but Iloved what you say.
I'm going to steal it from yougoing forward.
We are the very firstgeneration.
that know that there is aproblem and we have a solution

(07:30):
in hand.
And I used to say, you may notknow that, we are the very last
generation that has a luxury tomake a choice.
So it's interesting.
I

Eric Goens (07:41):
mean, I've been doing some, some presentations
lately about the movie comingup.
And that's what I always say,knowing that we know the problem
and the solution.
If we don't do anything.
Do we really want to be thegeneration that forever will be
remembered

Ilham Kadri (08:00):
as

Eric Goens (08:00):
the one that knowing it all screwed it up?
I mean, I don't want to be, Idon't want to be the next middle
aged generation because that'sthe way we still talk about the
middle ages.
There was a lack ofcivilization, there was a lack
of evolution.
Well, I'm a bit afraid if wedon't do anything right here,

(08:21):
right now, that's going to bethe way they talk about us two,
three, four centuries from now.
Because the problem is gettingbigger by the minute, and that's
where we have to act and wherewe can act.
It's not a, it's not a desperatemovement.
It's not a, there's no suchthing as the final act.
I mean, act now.
It's our turn to do something.

Ilham Kadri (08:44):
Absolutely.
Absolutely.
And you talk about thecontinent's beauty, and we had
the chance to see a few clipsalready and wow, I mean, it's
amazing is yes, it's beautiful.
That's really comes out in thedocumentary, uh, amazing scenes
of nature.
And there are really still sofew people who have traveled

(09:04):
there.
So you can tell us what, what,what is like to actually
experience this incrediblecontinent.

Eric Goens (09:12):
It's, it's, it's insane.

Ilham Kadri (09:16):
I want to do it, by the way.
I

Eric Goens (09:19):
mean, we've, we've been going to places where, you
know, that a couple of hundredsof people have been there
before.
And already, already that ideais, is, is just crazy.
At one moment we went.
It's at the, the, the East Coastto the, uh, so called, uh,

(09:40):
Derwaal shore.
It's named after a, uh, uh,Belgian scientist that went
there, uh, uh, 50 years ago.
I mean, it's absolutely, andI've been to a lot of places,
uh, ever, I've been, ever sinceI've been to Antarctica, I'll,
I'll, I'm of the, I'm part ofthe happy few that has been on

(10:02):
every continent.
So I've, I've been traveling.
Quite a while.
But that particular moment atthat particular coast, I mean,
it was mind blowing.
Um, usually I'm, I'm, I'msomeone who can say, anything,
everything with words, but todescribe the beauty of that

(10:25):
particular place, I mean, uh,that could be the best possible,
uh, uh, invitation to go to thetheater, just seeing the, their
wild coasts with all of thebeauty, with all of the, cause
that's always hand, hand inhand, all of the problems that
are around, cause that isofficially a place that is not

(10:49):
attached or that is not, uh, um,actual problems and then we see
it is.
So that's a so called safe spaceand if you see at that
particular moment Well, the,the, the problem is so
widespread that even on displaysthese problems, I mean, that's

(11:12):
again a call to action and acall to responsibility to say,
we have to act now, we have tostart now.
But again, not enough words todescribe the beauty of this.
of that place.
It's, you have to try to imaginewhat it means to be surrounded

(11:32):
by nothing.

Ilham Kadri (11:35):
Nothing, yeah.

Eric Goens (11:36):
There's nothing at Antarctica except for snow, air,
water, and ice.
But You cannot possibly imaginethe sound of silence and the
view of nothing that is soamazing.
And if I say nothing, there'snot a plane above your head,
there's not a bus station, ofcourse not.

(11:59):
There's no electrical wire,this, this, this.
nothing.
And the only thing you hear issilence and a magnificent view.
There's not a second place inthe world where you can enjoy
that kind of view combined with,with the sound of silence.
It's, it's, it's amazing.

Ilham Kadri (12:20):
Yeah.
And I'm sure the sound isactually a music of, of silence,
right?
The best sound.
The

Eric Goens (12:27):
best sound is still the silence.

Ilham Kadri (12:29):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So, so it looks like you oftentalk as well about how
Antarctica is the barometer ofthe planet, right?
And, and that, that, that's whathappens.
there affects all of us.
So how did you see that duringthe filming?

Eric Goens (12:48):
Well, it's, it's, uh, there's, there's a saying
that says if it rains in Paris,it drops in Brussels.
And, and actually, you could usethe same one liner if you talk
about the climate and the roleof Antarctica.
Because the most important thingabout Antarctica, there's no
human influence.

(13:09):
I mean, there can be a lot ofthings that happen in the
climate.
In a country, on a continent,but there's always that
influence that we create.
There's the complete absence ofthat kind of influences on
Antarctica.
So if something happens there,it's influenced by nothing,
except by this is the behaviorof the climate.

(13:32):
So that makes it A 100 percentguarantee that the things that
are happening there are actuallyreally happening, are not
provoked by, I don't know,anything, a car that is driving
or this or that.
So, because of the absence of,of, of human beings, it goes

(13:55):
much slower in Antarctica.
I mean, It takes sometimes 10,15 years to, to notice that
there's a change, there's aswitch in, in, in the actual
state of the climate.
And, and to give you a, to me itwas a, a very convincing, almost
killing example of what ishappening there.

(14:15):
Again, talking about the EastCoast, the place where
officially there's not a lot of,influence today.
Um, at one time it was, uh, EricRegnaud who was, uh, leading
the, the experiment.
Eric Regnaud is a Nobel Prizewinning, uh, glaciologist.

Ilham Kadri (14:37):
Yeah.

Eric Goens (14:37):
Uh, working in Los Angeles and, and, and for NASA.
And at one time he's measuringthe depth of the ice.
And he says to me, it's 800meters.
That's crazy.
You have to know, I mean,Antarctic is a continent, so you
have the soil and on top of thatyou have ice and snow.
And when he told me it's 800meters, I was, I was, um, I'm

(15:01):
only human, I was looking at himand I said, Eric, what's the
problem?
800 meters of ice.
I mean, I guess we can miss acouple of meters.
And he said, Whoa, wait aminute.
It's 800 meters here and twokilometers further on.
There was only 400 left.

(15:22):
I mean, if you lose half of yourice and snow on a distance of
two kilometers, I mean, ifyou're not convinced at that
particular moment that the iceand the snow are

Ilham Kadri (15:36):
melting

Eric Goens (15:39):
away and creating the level of sea rising.
There's, there's no betterevidence or not word.
Not, not, not a, uh, there's noworse evidence than that one to
finally show and prove, uh,Houston, we have a problem.

Ilham Kadri (15:59):
Absolutely.
And, uh, and this is, uh, Imean, it's so for the climate
change skeptics right out there.

Eric Goens (16:08):
Yeah.

Ilham Kadri (16:08):
You, you are right.
You are given that perspective.
Look, I am in, in the continentof no human being presence.
But at the same time, you seethe impacts and I'm showing it.
And the discussion about climatehas become, in a way,
politicized and polarized.
Mm-Hmm.
hasn't it?
And I know that you want thisfilm to really open our hearts,

(16:32):
eyes, ears, right?
And what's going on and providean answer to the state of the
climate once and for all.
How do you think or hope toachieve that?

Eric Goens (16:42):
Well, you have to show people that it's not a
discussion about believing ornot believing.
It's, it's, the discussion is,is too important to leave it to
the so called non believers orthe so called believers.
You have to show that, that whatis happening today, and people

(17:05):
get to see it, unfortunately,more and more, that what is
happening today is all linked.
It's just It's not just acoincidence.
I mean, we saw what happened inSpain.
We saw what happened inPepinsterre in Belgium two years
ago.
And the so called water bomb.
I mean, two years ago, the waterbomb in Belgium was 270

(17:30):
millimeters per square meter.
In Spain, it was double.
We're talking about two years.
And it's, it's, it's, it's, it'sthe perfect one liner, uh, uh,
that Eric Rigneaux says.
People are used to see theirgarage flooded sometimes, but

(17:51):
maybe we should tell them thatif we don't do anything, their
garage is going to be floodedall of the times.
And that's where, if peoplenotice, I mean, as long as the,
the, the climate debate issomething, I'm not going to say,
Out of space, but, but, peoplefeel the proximity today, they,

(18:13):
they see, they know that if, ifthey go on a holiday, that it's
way hotter than before, if itrains, that it's raining much
more than before, that, so the,the, the climate is going a
little bit cooler than before.
He's losing his mind a bit, andpeople see that.
So, that's why I decided to makethe movie now, because people

(18:34):
are getting confronted with thevery first signs of there is a
problem.
And if you bring it on a veryhuman, low scale level, just to
show We're not talking about thebig phenomenon, but we're
talking about you, we're talkingabout what it means to you.
I mean, if you see that in, in,in San Francisco, they are

(18:56):
investing today one billiondollar to have a wall built, and
not a wall, not a political wallthis time, but a climate wall
to, to protect San Franciscoagainst, the possible sea rise
level, that's something, thosekind of arguments are very

(19:20):
influential and very decisivein, in, in the mind of people.

Ilham Kadri (19:25):
Absolutely.
And I think you are giving thoseoverwhelmingly clear evidences.
I really liked your 800 meter to400 meter, few, few meter or
kilometers away, right?
So, so, so many people.
are trying to reach the heartsand the minds, as I say, it's on
this topic.

(19:45):
Um, do you believe then, and Iknow it's your sweet spot, it's
what you do best, documentary isthe most powerful way to do
this.
What is it about thisdocumentary do you think that
can really reach people andinspire them to act for those
people who didn't see the filmyet?

Eric Goens (20:04):
Well, the thing is, society has become very visual.

Ilham Kadri (20:10):
They

Eric Goens (20:10):
sometimes say, what you see is what you get.
But as long as people don't seeit, they just don't believe it.
I mean, there's a veryparticular moment in the movie
where, again, at the DerwaldCoast, every two years, there's
a big ship that is arriving andputting down all the necessary

(20:30):
things that are needed tosurvive, like oil barrels, food.
So, the boat arrives.
Two weeks before we were there,and to have a so called safe
zone, they, uh, they puteverything that needed to be,
uh, uh, uh, uh, delivered inAntarctica, they put it at 40

(20:56):
meters, 4 0, 40 meters, Over thecoast, again, in a so called non
affected area.
We arrived there two weekslater, and the old barrels that
were placed at 40 meters, again,40 meters from the coast, were
at that particular time, andagain, I'm talking about two

(21:17):
weeks, 10 centimeters.
So that means that in a veryshort period, two weeks, 40
meters of ghosts has completelydisappeared.
I mean, if some people have beenable to see the movie, sorry
about that, that you're not partof them yet, but I'm gonna But

(21:43):
if people see that particularmoment, I mean, they are, as we
say in French, bouche bae.
Bouche

Ilham Kadri (21:52):
bae, yeah.
Flabbergasted, yeah.
It's great.
I cannot wait.
I cannot wait.
And by the way, I know I didn'thear it, but I read somewhere
that you asked Morgan Freeman,the voice of God, to narrate the
film.
And, you know, I think I shouldnot, I don't need to introduce

(22:14):
who is Morgan Freeman, but Theguy, I mean, he's an American
actor, producer, narrator,obviously has a beautiful voice.
He received, uh, severalaccolades, including the Academy
Award, the Golden Globe and, uh,maybe you

Eric Goens (22:28):
should stop right there.
So

Ilham Kadri (22:31):
tell me, tell me how this happened.

Eric Goens (22:36):
asking price, it was not even his, but his manager's
asking price was more thandouble of my complete budget for
the movie.
So I dropped the Morgan Freemanoption, but we'll find somebody
else, uh, to, to, to, to voicethe whole movie, but it's a,

(22:59):
it's a wonderful, wonderfulworld outside the window.

Ilham Kadri (23:04):
So,

Eric Goens (23:05):
um,

Ilham Kadri (23:06):
Prices are going

Eric Goens (23:06):
up.

Ilham Kadri (23:07):
Yeah, prices are going up.
But listen, I think, um, in away, you are carrying a noble, a
noble topic, subject, which isimportant for generations to
come and I love the way youstarted by saying, you know, we
are the first generation knowingthat there is a problem, having

(23:27):
a solution in hand, and as Isaid, we are the very last
generation who have luxury tomake a choice.
So, going back to the topic likeAnd it's not just us as
individuals, right?
It's even more important forbusinesses to act.
As you know, Eric, this podcastis about how companies can be
both sustainable and profitable.

(23:47):
And I really started with thatback in 2019, because when I
joined the company Solvay andnow ScienceCo, people thought we
cannot do both.
We cannot be sustainable andprofitable, right?
And I really think everybusiness leader needs to We can.
this documentary to be remindedof the urgency we face because

(24:08):
we truly believe at ScienceCothat sustainability is
profitability because, you know,without sustainability, without
healing, protecting our planet,there is no business, right?
And the cost of not doing it ishigher than the cost of doing
it.
And because providing solutionsthat improve our planet are just
good for business and theenvironment.

(24:30):
So what more do you thinkbusinesses can do to be more
effective in fighting climatechange.

Eric Goens (24:39):
I mean, that's what a lot of professors and
technology experts tell me.
The technology is there today.
It is there.
It's not even needed to beinvented.
It is there.
The thing that is missing istechnology.

(25:00):
the conviction, the belief thatwe have to act, that we have to
change.
We still behave ourselves onthis earth as we own the planet.
Sorry, we owe, no, no, we ownthe planet.
We consider ourselves as beingthe king of the castle, which we

(25:26):
are not.
I mean, we are, face it,temporary on this earth and and
in terms of who's on top it'sit's climate and earth that will
decide on our fate so it's a lotof it it doesn't even need the
magical solution it's in ourbasic behavior behavior it's the

(25:49):
way we use energy it's the waywe use water is the way we use
electricity It's very simplethings that can make a big
difference, because what happenstoday is a lot of individuals
tend to say, It's the companies,it's the countries, it's the

(26:13):
governments that have to fix it.
No, no, no, no.
It's all of us.
It's how stupid it may sound.
It's brushing our teeth and notopening the tap all of the time.
I'm gonna, I'm gonna give you alittle, uh, uh, uh, secret.
We're gonna launch a bigcampaign.

(26:34):
Marketing campaign, uh, like twoweeks, three weeks before the
launch of the movie.
You know those little milkcartons?

Ilham Kadri (26:46):
Mm

Eric Goens (26:49):
hmm.
We're gonna bring them out witha little slogan that says, Drink
your pee.

Ilham Kadri (26:57):
Mm hmm.

Eric Goens (26:58):
And how crazy it may sound, Today, we are technically
perfectly capable of havingdirty waters being used again.
Again, the technology is there,so we're going to have people

(27:19):
drink what used to be tea.
and has been quit or, or clearedto regular drinking water.
Again, the way we behave on thisearth today is, we just use it,
we don't do anything.
Although, that's the crazy part,the technology is there.

(27:42):
So maybe we should think andrethink the way we're using, as
I just said, Fuel, energy,water, whatever.
I mean, Earth has been working acouple of billion years to
create everything that is there.
And in, in, in just one or twogenerations of time, we're going
to use everything.

(28:02):
That's something Not really inline with what, uh, uh, our
behavior should be.

Ilham Kadri (28:11):
Yeah, and you mentioned, actually, you, you,
you don't know it because, youknow, we didn't talk about this
before.
Uh, you talked about water andtoilet to tap, which is close to
my heart, and you may not know,Eric, actually, that I worked in
the water.
Business and treatment in aprevious life.
So I build desalination plantsand gray water purification in

(28:36):
the Middle East and, um, in, in,in Israel, in many, many, you
know, places where there is alot of water scarcity and you're
right.
Grey water is actually easier topurify than desalinate water.
And indeed, we can go fromtoilet to tap.
It's not acceptable culturally,except in Singapore, where the

(28:58):
bottled water is actually fromtoilet to tap.
But you're right.
I think there is many ways to dowith less.
So not waste water is the firstway or the best way to actually
be sustainably, sustainablyconscious.

Eric Goens (29:16):
Sorry for interrupting you, but can you
imagine that in Europe and inthe United States, which are the
biggest consumers of everything,that one day we decide, hold up,
we're going to use that wateragain.
I mean, I don't even know the, Icannot even imagine the amount

(29:38):
of water that would becomeavailable.
And again, that tells a wholelot about.
Our behavior on this planet, and

Ilham Kadri (29:49):
absolutely,

Eric Goens (29:50):
as I said, technology is there, but the
technology up there in our headhas to be.
Rescheduled.

Ilham Kadri (29:59):
You're right.
Reprogrammed.
Absolutely.
And there are places, again,Singapore, Middle East now, when
you go to a hotel, it's all greywater, you know, purified and
reused.
They don't use it for drinkingwater, but they use it for their
garden and laundry, etc.
And you're completely right.
So, let's shift gears toAntarctica.

(30:20):
It's very special to Belgium andwe are here, speaking in Belgium
and you are Belgium, right?
So because it was the Belgium,uh, explorer Adrien de Gerlach
and his team who first spent anentire winter in Antarctica back
in 1898.
And his expedition led to the1959 Treaty of Antarctica, which

(30:42):
protects the freedom ofscientific research in the
continent.
And in fact, we are very proudthat science school, and that's
what's connected to us.
me with your story immediatelywhen we knew about that because
our founder, Ernest Solvay, whowas also a great explorer,
played a fundamental role inenabling this historical
expedition.

(31:03):
And we're very happy to continuethis support today by sponsoring
your documentary.
And then Princess Elizabeth'sbase, where you film, is of
course a Belgium base.
So Eric, how important Howimportant is this Belgian
connection to Antarctica was foryou?

Eric Goens (31:21):
It's a bit, it's a bit of a sad story because
actually we know a whole lot ofthings about our history.
But it's like we've forgottenthat we've been playing a very
important role in Antarcticaever since.
I mean,

Ilham Kadri (31:36):
Adrián

Eric Goens (31:37):
de Guellach, I mean, what he did, it's, it's, it's,
it's, it's, it's, again, it's,it's crazy.
Not only did he go all the way,but at one moment, just before
the start of the winter, hedecided To have his ship blocked

(31:59):
in the pack ice just to, tohibernate, to stay there all
winter long.
I mean, the, the, the picturesyou're going to see, it's, it's,
it's,

Ilham Kadri (32:06):
it's amazing.

Eric Goens (32:08):
I cannot imagine living there for four or five
months, complete darkness.
Inside a boat that is notappropriate to stay there for
four or five months.
And the whole story, how he wasable to do it, I mean, the very
first partner that he saw wasthe Belgian government.

(32:28):
I'm not going to make too muchjokes about the Belgian
government, but already at thattime there was not enough funds
from the Belgian government, sothey were not interested.
Then he went to the king, andthe king said, No.
Our main priority is Africa, andsince Antarctica is not really
next to Africa, he, he, he was,I'm not going to say he was

(32:50):
desperate, but the amount heneeded was 300, 000 Belgian
francs.
That is the equivalent oftoday's 7, 500 euros.
So he met that young, aspiring,ambitious entrepreneur which, as
you just said, the foundingfather of Solvay, Ernest Solvay,

(33:13):
and I mean it's, it's just, andthat's how apparently history is
written and history is made,it's just two young
entrepreneurs with an idea whereeverybody probably says at that
time, They are absolutely crazy,but that is what makes things

(33:34):
happen.
That is what makes thingschange.
And just, Small history, um,when, when we went to
Antarctica, we had two pictures,one of Adrienne de Gaillard and
one of the founding father ofSolvay.
And we attached them next toeach other at the wall in the

(33:57):
station.
So, forever and ever, the twofounding fathers of the whole
Belgian, uh, activity in, uh,in, uh, Antarctica are reunited
at the main wall of the livingroom in the Princess Elizabeth
Station.
And the way that Alain Hubert,who is a bit of a, an Adrienne

(34:20):
de Guerlache of today, the wayhe looked at those pictures and
admitting even he was a littlebit jealous.
Because, I mean, for him, it'snice to be what, what he is
today and what he does today.
But he looks to those guys andhe's like, Why was I not there
like 100 or 200 years ago?

(34:42):
So, but we brought them toAntarctica and, and, and they
will be there forever.

Ilham Kadri (34:48):
It touches us because obviously Ernest Solvay
is a big man, you know, and arole model for many and he loved
science.
He loved the planet.
He was a human centric and hewas a humanist.
So that's why he loved theplanet.
So I think he was a visionaryand I would love to have this
photo of their photos if youhave one for me.

(35:09):
I'm sure that filming inAntarctica doesn't come without
risks, right?
And in the documentary, we seethe researchers leave the base
to conduct experiments and theyoften run into challenges in the
harsh landscape.
And I know your team, Eric,ended up in what's called a
white out, which looked so real.

(35:30):
It's like it would be a prettyscary and a track fell down, a
crevice, right?
At one point, thankfully,without anyone inside.
What was it like to be filmingout there in what could be an
unforgiving landscape?

Eric Goens (35:48):
It's, it's an unforgiving landscape.
It's not even a question of whatcould be an unforgiving
landscape.
It's, it's, I mean, it'sliterally living on the edge
because with all the crevices ofit.
It's just.
So the, the, the, the icecraters, I mean, you, you can,
and I don't want to sound machoabout it or, or, but I mean,

(36:13):
it's just a question of everystep you make, every move you
make could be the fatal one andconfronted.
And again, that's where climateis so powerful that it's, it's.
You're not completely convincedof the force of nature, I mean,
being amidst a whiteout, theword itself says what it is,

(36:36):
there's nothing but snow, youdon't see anything, you lose
every dimension, you lose everyperception, try to imagine it,
it's like being in a black room,only that room is white.
And in the meantime, I mean, thewind is blowing at 150
kilometers per hour.

(36:56):
There's snow, there's ice,there's everything around.
So, the only thing is, you, you,you lose yourself.
You lose, you lose everyconnection to Earth.
And that's where it becomesreally dangerous.
Because if, if all of a suddenyou're standing next to your
trailer and you get blown awayto like four or five meters.

(37:18):
You've lost every connectiontoo, so you're probably
convinced you have to walk tothe left while your carriage is
standing to the right.
So every single meter could bethe last one before getting
completely lost, knowing that,that kind of, of Whiteouts can
last three, four, five days.

(37:38):
We've been lost for a while,because our, uh, our container
that was pulled by a big fatmachine, it pulled off without
anyone noticing that they lostus, because the weather was that
bad, and it lasted.
It's, it's, it's, it's anincredible story.

(38:01):
It, it took four, five hoursbefore realizing that they lost
us.
So we were there in the midst ofnothing, wired out, locked up in
a container, not really knowingwhat was happening because it
was locked from the outside.
And luckily, uh, they, they, no,no, I mean, luckily they found

(38:21):
us back because again, contraryto the whiteout, it was the,
the, the needle in the haystack,but I was very happy to be that
needle in that haystack becausethey found us back, but it took
them another three, four hoursbefore finding us back.
So you're so small, you're sonothing if nature decides to

(38:43):
take it over.
If climate decides to take itover, can you could, I mean,
it's not going to happen here,but even half of a whiteout that
would all of a sudden decidesto, to pass by and say hello in

(39:05):
Europe.
I mean, you could hardly imaginewhat that would provoke.
And that's the whole thing withclimate with nature.
You see that more and more.
It's, it's gettingunpredictable.
It's getting, it's getting moreand more aggressive.
And I can assure you those,those six, seven hours stuck in

(39:27):
the whiteout, locked up in acontainer that were not really,
it's, it's funny to talk aboutit now, but at that particular
moment, that was not the besttime of my life.
Finally, after they found usback, I came back at the
station.
I don't drink alcohol too often.

(39:49):
I drink like two, three times ayear alcohol.
And I told the guy who was atthe station, just gave me a
bottle of whiskey.
So,

Ilham Kadri (39:59):
so there is whiskey in the station, Eric?
Oh yes.

Eric Goens (40:04):
Oh yes.
Oh gosh.
And he brought me a bottle andhe said.
Because that's what I told himat that time.
Oh, I didn't know there waswhiskey.
I thought I was making a joke.
And the guy told me, in case ofemergency,

Ilham Kadri (40:20):
there is

Eric Goens (40:20):
whiskey.
Like this one.

Ilham Kadri (40:23):
Yes.
What was your favorite part ofthe most meaningful part of the
filming for you?

Eric Goens (40:31):
Well, as I just told you, the most beautiful spot
I've ever been is the coast.
Oh, Uh, the Al Coast.
It was Theder.

Ilham Kadri (40:45):
Yeah.
Derval Shore.
Right.
And Dewell Sre, yeah.
Was beautiful.
Yeah, it

Eric Goens (40:50):
was.
You're gonna see it in themovie, I mean.
Yeah,

Ilham Kadri (40:52):
yeah.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
I saw pictures.
Yeah.
Not a

Eric Goens (40:54):
grain of doubt.
If you Yeah.
The moment you get to see theDerval coast that you're gonna
say, oh, that's, that's the onehe was talking about.
Yeah.
It's so amazingly.
Beautiful.
It's, it's, well,

Ilham Kadri (41:09):
we cannot wait.
So switching gears.
I mean, uh, I mean, we can hearit, right?
This is, this is a passion,right?
Uh, but, and, and probably yourhobby, but is there anything
else you like to do outsidethis, uh, Eric, we want to know
who you are outside this, givenyour sense of adventure.

(41:31):
I'm sure you have manyinterests.

Eric Goens (41:34):
Um, well, um, I have to admit that, uh, my wife
sometimes complains.

Ilham Kadri (41:41):
Yeah, I

Eric Goens (41:41):
mean, does

Ilham Kadri (41:43):
she come with you or does she watch the movie as
well, like all of us?

Eric Goens (41:48):
Um, I have four kids, so that's a big front
sometimes.
Uh, if, um, I can, it's, it'spretty easy to become
passionate.
about a project.
If I know that it's something, Idon't know, once in a lifetime,
it's something special, it'ssomething different.

(42:10):
But the problem for the peopleat home is that, um, I find
quite often something that needsto be done that is once in a
lifetime.
That is the perfect challenge.
And that's, that's what I alwayssay.
I am, I never worked in my life.
I just followed my passion.

(42:31):
And that makes me a very luckyman, because I know a lot of
people, aren't we all?
I know a lot of people that areunlucky in doing the job they
do.
I would hate it.
I would, it would kill me.
But, I mean, is it, is it, is ita sacrifice?
to go to Antarctica and staythere for six weeks.

(42:54):
Of course, not, it's not asacrifice, but yes, on a social,
family level, it's a sacrifice.
I mean, my, my youngest kid.
Boy, he's 12 years old, so whenI told him I was leaving for
Antarctica for 6 weeks, let'ssay that was not our best
conversation, but it's, it's,there's no other option.

(43:18):
It's what I want to do, it'swhat I have to do, it's what I
need to do.
I mean if, and my wife knows,because sometimes, of course,
she says, uh, hello stranger,are you there?
But she knows that if I wouldnot do, or if I would not be
doing what I'm doing right now,I would just be a unhappy man

(43:39):
and, and I try to have as muchas possible impact.
I mean, that's the whole thingof making documentaries.
You want that people are seeingor reading or listening or
whatever, and that it has animpact, that it makes people
think.
I had a guy, um, we are selectedfor the, the film festival in,

(44:02):
uh, in Austin and in Rotterdam.
And after the first viewing, helooked at me and said, you know
what?
They can ask me whatever righthere, right now that I have to
do for the climate.
I'll do it after seeing thismovie.
And then, and

Ilham Kadri (44:22):
that's,

Eric Goens (44:23):
that's what I'm looking for.
I want.

Ilham Kadri (44:25):
That's the impact.
Yeah.

Eric Goens (44:27):
What I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I always say that what I
make, I try to have people leanforward.
Instead of leaning back, I mean,I love people leaning back.
I don't know, it's Friday night,just lean back, watch a shiny
floor, but what I want to do ishaving them lean forward and,

(44:49):
and telling them something theydon't know yet or telling them
something that will start makethem think about things we do or
things we don't do.

Ilham Kadri (45:00):
No, it's amazing.
And I'm sure your family, your12 year old son, they're proud
of you.
It's just amazing what you aredoing.
So listen, it's time to closethis fascinating conversation.
So where will the finalquestion, will the 2050 premiere
and how can our listeners findit and watch it?

Eric Goens (45:23):
The, uh, there's a, a first premiere that is at the
Film Festival that's, uh, secondweek of February.
Then it will be, there will bethe, the big premiere, the, is
it the 27th or the 29th?
It's a Thursday.
I'm so, I'm just waking up inthe morning and watching my

(45:44):
agenda.
Is

Ilham Kadri (45:47):
it in February?
That's February, the last, the

Eric Goens (45:51):
last Thursday of February.

Ilham Kadri (45:53):
Last Tuesday of February.
Yeah, I'm gonna find it for you.

Eric Goens (45:57):
You're invited.

Ilham Kadri (46:00):
Last Tuesday of February, 27th.

Eric Goens (46:04):
Yes, that's the 27th.
That's the world premiere, andthen starting beginning of
March, it will be in everypossible theater and probably
and hopefully as many weekendsas possible, but that depends on
people going to the theater orthe cinema.
But after that there will be,there will be a series launched

(46:27):
after the summer, that will be asixth episode, that will be
March 30th.
Uh, that will be seen on thestreaming networks.
So it's going to be there forquite some time.
It's not just a movie, and thenit's gone.
The movie will be followed.
There's going to be a book.
There's going to be a lot ofdebates and seminars.

(46:48):
And as I said, afterwards, therewill be the series.
So, I'm, I'm ready for it.
Uh,
we finished editing, we never finished editing, but
let's say that we agreed tofinish editing, uh, last week.
And it's, uh, it's, it's quite amovie.

(47:08):
It lasts for one hour, 51minutes, which is huge for that
kind of movie.
But, uh, It's, it's what it hasto be, so I'm, I'm, I'm looking
forward, I mean, talking aboutmy boy, my son, I can't wait to

(47:28):
have him sitting somewhere in atheater and watching him and
looking at the way how he reactsand if it has impact or not.
So I hope to convince, we have alot of media partners, uh, I
hope to convince as much peopleas possible, to go and see the
movie and, and, and maybe decidethat the way we treat our planet

(47:53):
is not the appropriate way.
that we have to changesomething.

Ilham Kadri (47:56):
Absolutely.
And I'm sure there will be a lotof sparks in the eyes of your,
uh, of your son and families.
And I encourage everyone to seeit.
Yeah.
I encourage everyone.
We'll be at the rendezvous.
Thank you so much for joining metoday, Eric.
And thank you most of all forcreating, uh, this importance.

(48:18):
I think it's criticallystrategic film, uh, which
everyone needs to see.
to see your story is one ofthose which is the closest to my
heart and to the heart of thepodcast the purpose you are an
inspiration you walk the talkand and we could hear it it's
contagious and i know this filmwill inspire many more people

(48:40):
you will create followersespecially business leaders
coming back to my job.
And it's a passion of mine aswell.
Business leaders who have theability to really make a
positive impact.
So thank you for the fabulousconversation and we'll be beyond
the rendezvous and enjoy thepremiere.

Eric Goens (48:58):
Thank you very, very, very much.
And the pleasure was all mineand we'll get to see each other
end of February in a theatersomewhere.

Ilham Kadri (49:08):
Absolutely.
Here in Belgium.
Why not?

Eric Goens (49:10):
Okay.
Thanks,

Ilham Kadri (49:12):
Eric.

Eric Goens (49:13):
Thank you.
Bye bye.
Was that okay to you?

Ilham Kadri (49:21):
Yeah, I think they are gonna get back into Eric,
how was it?

Eric Goens (49:27):
Yeah, that's that was good.
That was good.
I think it'll be a goodrecording.
Yep.

Ilham Kadri (49:30):
Okay, super Thank you very much, Eric.
This was really amazing.
I really enjoyed it.
Okay

Eric Goens (49:38):
Cannot wait Neither can I Cannot

Ilham Kadri (49:43):
wait All the best, thank you, Eric.

Eric Goens (49:46):
Thank you, bye bye.
Bye.
so much.
Have a nice weekend.
Bye bye.
Bye bye.
Have a nice weekend too.

Ilham Kadri (49:52):
Well, listen, Eric is really, you know, delivering,
um, a fabulous piece, amasterpiece, a documentary
named, uh, 2050, which gonnareally show to the world that's
You know, there is emergency onthe planet.
And I loved what he said that weare the very first generation

(50:14):
that know that there is aproblem and the generation that
have a solution.
So obviously, as I've beensaying, we're the very last
generation who has luxury to,to, to take, to make a choice on
the right one.
And I love that, you know, he'sgoing to showcase that this is
real in a continent which isbeautiful.

(50:35):
There are just a few hundredpeople who have been, uh, you
know, going and visiting it.
And I encourage everyone,everyone to go there to see what
there are.
with their eyes, and to comeback home or at work and act,
act on it in your business, inthe way you save resources at
home, in the way you educateyour kids.