Wales One World Film Festival launches their first ECOSINEMA

The inaugural ECOSINEMA brings together stories of water from Wales and the world. Spanning the Amazon, Lebanon, Iceland and past and present Wales these brilliant films invite reflection on the element essential to all life on Earth. The mini festival asks us to rethink our relationships with the rivers and seas that sustain us all.

“ECOSINEMA is more than a selection of ‘green’ documentaries,” says Rhowan Alleyne, WOW Film Festival programmer. “We’re including drama, storytelling and talks to show the different ways water touches the lives of people around the world, and to inspire audiences to think about what we need to do to protect it.”

Films and events in the ECOSINEMA programme will be available both at Aberystwyth Arts Centre cinema from 16 - 18th September and online — free (or a donation basis) — for viewers across the UK to enjoy from Sunday 19 to Sunday 26 September.

ECOSINEMA opens with The Last Forest co-produced by Greenpeace and Survival International with the Yanomami, Brazil's largest native community. As their unchanged, elemental way of life competes with the lure of the developed white world across the river, the Yanomami strive to keep their thousand-year-old culture intact by fighting against the poisoning of the waters they depend on.

The panel discussion, ‘Voices from the Water’, brings together a cast of spirited academics and activists to discuss our relationship to water. "Voices from the Water! will be live via Zoom on Sunday 19th September at 4pm. The panel includes Laura Owen Sanderson, founder and director of We Swim Wild; University of Wales Trinity Saint David social anthropologist Dr Luci Attala; Professor of Environmental and Ecological Economics in Aberystwyth University's Business School, Mike Christie; and David Jones who represents Neptune!s Army of Rubbish Cleaners (NARC), an award winning Welsh charity.

Lebanese drama Under the Concrete is a deep dive into the inner world of scuba instructor Alain Najm who finds respite from the clamour of Beirut in the calm of the underwater world. Using realism and beautiful underwater photography, social commentary and romance, this drama reflects on the life changing qualities of the ocean.

With off-beat humour and a warm heart Lobster Soup is a classic observational documentary. In the fishing port of Grindavik, Iceland — not far from the world famous Blue Lagoon — Bryggjan café and its eccentric owners are the heart and soul of the community. Krilli makes the famous lobster soup, while his brother Alli chats to the ageing fishermen, keeping their memories and the old traditions of storytelling and song alive.

The Fairytale of Water, a new film from Wales, made by storyteller Peter Stevenson and filmmaker Jacob Whittaker, brings together flood myths that tell of a time when you could walk across Cardigan Bay to Ireland. The film recounts fairytales of dreamers who built utopian lands, old ladies who made love potions with well water, and rivers who were seen as people.

"ECOSINEMA builds on what WOW has done in the past with its selection of ‘green’ films”, says WOW festival director, David Gillam. “At a time when the impact of the ecological emergency has become all too apparent we want ECOSINEMA to help inspire viewers to think about the significance of water to the health of all life on the planet. We’re thrilled to present a thought-provoking, beautiful, inspiring and entertaining selection of films that audiences across the world have enjoyed.

ECOSINEMA is your only chance to see such important films in the UK so don’t miss them!”