Filmmaker gains access to the most polluted city in the world

It’s the isolated Siberian city which, it’s claimed, has the dubious honour of being the world’s most polluted.

Norilsk, the most northern city in the world, has a population of 177,000 and a life expectancy 24 years shorter than the average Australian.

It has taken filmmaker, Victoria Fiore, two years to gain access.

Founded in 1935 as a mining complex, the area is rich with nickel deposits as well as copper, cobalt, platinum and coal.

Norilsk has locked-out all non-Russian citizens since 2001 and has no ground transport connections. When Fiore was finally granted entry after multiple failed attempts, she talked to the residents and released a short documentary detailing their thoughts of living in the remote, toxic environment.

The documentary, My Deadly Beautiful City released by The Atlantic, reveals the surprising reaction locals have to their home city.

"Despite the brutality, factories, pipes, smoke, when there is no sun in winter… this is all so beautiful," said one resident.

The area is affected with severe pollution due to nickel ore smelting which generates acid rain and smog. It is responsible for killing all nature within the area. The polluted surface soil is so rich with contaminants, it is mined for heavy metals.

In the video, the filmmaker interviews someone appearing to be a local doctor who downplays the effect of the air pollution.

"These emissions have a significantly lesser effect on the health of humans (than plants). Because sulphur dioxide does not have an effect on the human body. Breathing in the gases may provoke a cough," he said

Head doctors and nuns in Norilsk claim that people have better health despite the well-documented health concerns, according to the filmmaker.

Other people featured in the film, including a child who wants to leave the city and a man who has built a greenhouse in his apartment, don't share the same view.

"I start to cough, my head spins, my stomach hurts. I wish I could live somewhere else," the child said.

Fiore describes her short film as "the hypnotic mysticism of a city on edge of the world".

You can watch the full documentary here.