The festival will take place from 24 to 27 February.
If you are passionate about the environment and love the cinema then you will be delighted to hear that the Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival is returning to Abu Dhabi.
Lighting up the big screen at Manarat Al Saadiyat from Thursday 24 to Sunday 27 February, the film festival features a curated line-up of award-winning Emirati and international films that tackle the climate crisis, the impact of urban pollution, global water shortage and various environmental and social issues.
Organised by Zayed University and Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the theme of this year’s event focuses on the ‘Oasis Paradox’ where films celebrate the importance of the Oases to Emirati geography and history.
Cinepiles can expect to see a diverse range of features and shorts including award winning Honey, Rain and Dust (2017), directed by Nujoom Al Ghanem; I am Greta, a 2020 internationally co-produced documentary by Fredrik Heining and Cecilia Nessen that follows the incredible rise of climate change activist Greta Thunber; and Koyaanaqatsi (1982), directed by Godfrey Reggio.
Speaking on the announcement Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri Secretary General of EAD said: “To highlight positive and impactful environmental work, the development of documentaries and films is key. They are both powerful mediums that can raise awareness about significant and important topics, such as climate change, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and degradation of nature, to name a few.
“The number of environmental challenges the world faces today is growing rapidly, and events such as the Al Sidr Film Festival help shed light on these challenges in a manner that is dynamic, appealing and informative.
“The theme for the festival this year is ‘Oasis Paradox’, which blends perfectly with the UAE natural heritage, and is a significant topic of finding balance between nature and human development – which is what we should all be striving for.
“We cannot under any circumstances compromise nature because of damaging human activity and we all have a role to play in highlighting the importance of the environment and through a festival as important as Al Sidr, we can achieve this goal.”
Aside from film screenings, the festival will also include academic roundtables such as ‘Thinking with the Atmospheric, Building Geosocial Future’, which brings together a group of scientists, political scientists, and artists to address a range of topics including, the politics behind caring for the atmosphere and the connections between mankind and the environment.
Dr. Justin Thomas, renowned psychologist, writer and Associate Professor at Zayed University will also discuss the link between climate change and psychological grief.
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