Legacy

Short film by Emilia Tikka and Alexandru B. Georgescu

2019

Commissioned by Imagine Science Films and Science Sandbox

LEGACY imagines a future in which reproduction has become an individual technological choice rather than a shared biological process. Drawing on research into in vitro gametogenesis (IVG), which could make biologically related one-parent children possible, the film speculates on the social and ethical consequences of reproductive technologies that challenge conventional ideas of heredity, family, kinship, and care.

At its center is a lonely middle-aged man grappling with the transience of his own existence. Faced with the prospect of leaving no descendants behind, he places his hope in a procedure offered by a secretive biotechnology company that promises to preserve his genetic legacy. LEGACY explores the longing to leave a lasting trace and reflects on how emerging biotechnologies may reshape parenthood, identity, and the meaning of inheritance.