Nickel Land: Indonesia’s Critical Mineral

In the heart of Indonesia — the world’s largest source of nickel — a new global battle over clean-energy minerals is transforming landscapes, communities, and the geopolitics of the green transition. Nickel Land takes you inside Indonesia’s booming nickel industry, where soaring global demand for EV batteries and clean-energy technologies collides with the realities faced by local communities. From sprawling mines and high-heat smelters to rapidly changing coastlines, the film uncovers the human stories behind the metals powering our batteries, vehicles, and climate ambitions. As Indonesia solidifies its role as the world’s top nickel producer — much of it driven by Chinese investment — urgent questions emerge: Who benefits? Who bears the risks? And what does this extraction boom mean for the environment and the people living on the front lines of global progress? Nickel Land, a film by Dr. Samuel George, Director of Documentaries at the Bertelsmann Foundation, is an Official Selection of the 2025 International Film Festival The Hague.