Cinema cannot save the environment, but it can change the way we see it. That is the idea behind Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival, which returns to Abu Dhabi with a programme examining humanity's relationship with nature and the ways that relationship can be repaired.
Now in its fifth iteration, the festival runs from Friday to Sunday at NYU Abu Dhabi, bringing together international documentaries, fiction, animation and conversations with filmmakers, scientists and conservationists.
Organised in collaboration with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the festival this year has the theme Mend, which takes its name from the Arabic verb rammim, meaning to repair or restore something of value.
Artistic director Nezar Andary says the theme reflects a philosophy that has guided the festival since 2020. He believes environmental cinema should encourage curiosity rather than overwhelm audiences with alarming statistics or instructions on how to live.
"I don't want an environmentalism that believes in some pristine, perfect version of nature," he tells The National. "Mending is something we're constantly doing, and it's something the Earth itself does."
Al Sidr was inspired by a small environmental film festival that Andary attended at Princeton Public Library in the United States. He was impressed by its preference for creative documentaries over conventional environmental campaigning.
"The more creative, artistic documentary isn't force-feeding you an environmental ideology, but is actually creating a sense of intimacy and questioning," he says.
Al Sidr has since welcomed more than 5,000 attendees and engaged 2,000 students from more than 20 schools across Abu Dhabi.
This year's selection approaches ecology through scientific exploration, cultural heritage and conservation.
Among the headline screenings is Ghost Elephants, a documentary by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. The National Geographic production, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, receives its Arabian Gulf premiere on Friday.
Another highlight is Fire of Love, the Oscar-nominated 2022 documentary by Sara Dosa, which chronicles the lives of French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, whose fascination with volcanoes shaped their work and relationship.
"It's about two lovers who are studying volcanoes. And it's about love. It's about love of science," Andary says.
Dosa's 2026 documentary Time and Water, which premiered at Sundance, will screen at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi on Friday, accompanied by a free museum tour, and again on Sunday at NYU Abu Dhabi.
The programme also includes Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Icelandic musician Bjork, and Chuuraa, a short film by Evgenia Arbugaeva that premiered at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.
Beyond documentaries, Andary is particularly enthusiastic about the restored 4K edition of Manthan, the 1976 Indian film by Shyam Benegal, which screens on Saturday.
The film examines the formation of a dairy co-operative in rural India, connecting agriculture with questions of class, collective action and social change.
Andary says environmental storytelling can extend to subjects that might not immediately appear to be ecological. At a previous edition, he screened Ken Loach's Kes, a British drama about a working-class boy and his relationship with a kestrel.
He says both films address class and solidarity, issues that can also resonate with audiences in the UAE.
Closer to home, the festival will premiere episodes of Conservation Diaries, a five-part documentary series produced by Connect with Nature, the youth environmental movement established by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and Emirates Nature–WWF.
Filmed across the UAE's wadis, mangroves, coastlines and rural communities, the series follows scientists, volunteers and conservationists protecting biodiversity.
It offers a practical interpretation of Mend, highlighting the patient work required to understand ecosystems and protect vulnerable species.
"They're the heroes on the ground who are tracking animals, who are working with citizen scientists," Andary says.
A panel on Sunday will examine ecological restoration in the UAE, while other sessions explore water, fungi and environmental science.
Saturday's family programme features international animated shorts alongside Fungi: Web of Life and an introduction to fungi by Dima Al Srouri, founder of Dubai venture MycoSphere, which develops materials using mycelium and agricultural waste.
Andary hopes the festival encourages people to question their relationships with the natural world.
Previous editions experimented with audience-led discussions instead of conventional expert panels, while one screening was accompanied by a meal prepared using food waste.
Although he wishes this year's programme offered more interaction, Al Sidr will continue its educational activities through school visits across Abu Dhabi.
Andary recalls how working on a documentary involving an ancient burial site in the UAE changed his perspective on wildlife. Learning that people used Socotra cormorant feathers in burials made him more attentive to the birds and their historical relationship with people.
"I listen more, I'm more attentive," he says.
He believes such changes in perception can be as important as the practical lessons audiences take from a screening. The festival should begin conversations that continue beyond the cinema.
"Cinema is not going to heal the environment. We are," Andary says.
Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival runs from October 9 to 11 at the Blue Hall, NYU Abu Dhabi. Tickets and the full programme are available at alsidrfestival.com
