Between 17th and 19th October, we held the 3rd edition of ĊineAmbjent – Friends of the Earth Malta’s environmental film festival! This edition was our largest yet, with 17 movies across 6 different locations!
Participants also spoke with the directors or producers for several movies – including Luzzu, The Guardians of Pachamama, and Food for Profit – or otherwise stayed afterwards to discuss the movie. At times, venues were almost full, and we had to make space for more seating.
Movies covered a range of topics including the struggles of farmers and fisher people in maintaining their livelihoods, deep sea mining, factory farming, hunting, and the struggles of indigenous peoples against colonisation. We also showed a number of movies intended for families and broader audiences, including animations like Flow and The Wild Robot, and a documentary on Dr Jane Goodall – the renowned conservationist and primatologist who passed away earlier this month – called Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope. This year’s selection aimed to not only raise awareness about various issues but also cultivate empathy and inspire discussions and action for a better world for people and planet!
Throughout the festival, we also tried to showcase local environmental movies, including Luzzu, The Guardians of Pachamama, Women and the Sea, Ħubż u Rizz, and Birds without Borders. In doing so, we aimed to highlight Maltese filmmakers growing contributions and engagement with environmental and social themes.
Discussions following the screenings were also vibrant. Even when discussions took place amongst a small group, participants raised many points and questions and discussions kept on going. Participants discussed how to tackle systemic issues and what they can do as individuals, compared the Maltese context with the one shown in the film, and also asked about the process behind some of the films’ creation.
Do make sure to keep an eye out for our next edition of ĊineAmbjent!
This year’s ĊineAmbjent is part of the EU co-funded project ‘Youth Policy Academy’. The project aims to encourage the involvement young people in democracy and to promote transnational learning and cooperation amongst young people.