ECOSINEMA 2025
First launched as a standalone mini-festival in 2021 and since nurtured as a flagship strand of the WOW Film Festival each March, Ecosinema returns in 2025 as a dedicated two-day event in Aberystwyth (9–10 October).
Bringing together international cinema, local voices, and community collaboration, it celebrates the power of film to spark dialogue, inspire action, and imagine more sustainable futures.
Check the programme below to explore how this year’s Ecosinema invites us all to reimagine, reconnect, and regenerate.
DAY 1 (OCTOBER 9) — ABERYSTWYTH ARTS CENTRE
.jpg)
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (12)
Ciro Guerra, Colombia, 2015, 124mins
A landmark of world cinema, this Oscar-nominated, black-and-white epic journeys deep into the Colombian Amazon through the eyes of Karamakate, the last surviving shaman of his tribe. Exploring the impact of colonialism, religion, and exploitation on indigenous cultures and the environment, it honours the resilience of the forest and its people.
Join us for this special 10th anniversary WOW Film Festival screening with a special introduction to the film by Mars Da Silva Saude, artist-filmmaker, researcher and lecturer on the MA Documentary: Landscape and Ecology at Aberystwyth University.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, 5pm
_edited.jpg)
LOST FOR WORDS (PG) + DIRECTOR'S Q&A
Hannah Papacek Harper, United Kingdom/France, 2025, 93mins
A poetic documentary that celebrates our bond with nature, inspired by The Lost Words. Journeying through the UK’s seasons, it weaves voices of children, elders, artists, and scientists. As landscapes and nature-words disappear, it reflects on what we are losing and offers a hopeful invitation to reawaken wonder and reconnect.
The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with the film’s director, Hannah Papacek Harper chaired by poet, academic and passionate advocate for the Welsh language Mererid Hopwood.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre, 7.15pm
DAY 2 (OCTOBER 10) — ARAD GOCH
EULOGY FOR THE DEAD SEA + SHORT FILM 'FRAGMENTED'
Polina Teif, Canada, 2022, 80'
A documentary chronicling the lake’s disappearance and the lives tied to it. It weaves haunting images of eroded shores and sinkholes with testimonies from locals—a water engineer, a park ranger, a former factory worker—whose memories and livelihoods are inseparable from the sea. As the longest occupation in modern history continues, ecological loss becomes deeply intertwined with human struggle, transforming into an intimate story of grief and resilience.
The screening of the film will be preceded by the screening of Fragmented (Tanya Marar, Balolas Carvalho, Palestine/Portugal, 2023, 7'), a documentary short exploring exile, resilience, and the human impact of displacement through memory, hope, and loss.
Arad Goch, 6pm
A 'Pay What You Feel' event.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Following the screening, join our panel of local voices for a lively discussion on the urgent intersections of ecology, politics, and community.
Panelists:
Jane Powell – Joint co-ordinator of the UNESCO Dyfi Biosphere, with a background in education, agriculture, and community development.
Berit Bliesemann de Guevara – Professor of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, specialising in knowledge, conflict, and civilian protection.
Chris Woodfield – Co-founder of Aber Food Surplus, passionate about community resilience, food justice, and reducing waste through collective action.
Talat Chaudri – Councillor, consultant, and environmental advocate. A member of the Welsh Government’s Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities and Chair of Melin Drafod, Talat works at the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies. His background spans linguistics, sustainability, and community engagement.
HOST: Tom O’Malley – Emeritus Professor of Media at Aberystwyth University, specialising in media history, policy, and freedom of expression.
Arad Goch, 7.30pm
COMMUNITY MEAL
We’ll close the event with a shared community meal created in collaboration with Aber Food Surplus; a chance to connect, continue the conversation, and celebrate sustainable food.
Expect delicious Palestinian flavours made with love that will accompany us as we continue our conversations.
Arad Goch, 8pm
