Komarnica

In the remote north of Montenegro lies one of Europes last truly wild river canyons: Komarnica. Steep limestone walls rise above untouched forests, while clear blue water winds through a landscape shaped over millions of years. Beneath the surface is a hidden world of caves, springs, and microhabitats still largely unknown to science. Many species here are found nowhere else, and some may never have been formally documented. This film follows researchers, conservationists, and citizen scientists as they push deep into the canyon to reveal its biodiversity. They cross dense forests, rocky ridges, and underground chambers, setting traps, surveying habitats, and searching for rare or undiscovered life. Each day brings new clues about how this ecosystem works and why it matters. But time is running out. A proposed hydropower dam could flood seventeen kilometres of the valley, submerging forests, caves, and entire ecosystems. A neighbouring river was already transformed by a dam decades ago, erasing landscapes and displacing communities. Komarnica could be next. Through fieldwork and a journey from the surface into the subterranean world, the film captures a place on the brink, and asks a simple question: can we protect what we have not yet fully seen?