Location: Online
This program looks at our relationship with the earth through imaginative storytelling. From unlikely friendships and forests that speak to us, to migrating birds and encounters with tigers, these films invite us to reflect on how we live alongside nature and its beings. Together they spark conversation about seeing ourselves as a part of the natural world and the stories it tells.
Our water use may feel far from mountains, rivers, and oceans, but we affect the water cycle every day. This animated short shows how water reaches our homes, how we change it, and how it’s cleaned in the Seattle area. We are part of the cycle.
Tess Martin is a film and visual artist based in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where she creates animation, videos and installations. She was based in Seattle, WA, USA from 2008 to 2013.
In this six-minute short, Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok) depicts Inuit creation stories in all their glory. Arctic Song tells stories of how the land, sea and sky came to be in beautifully rendered animation. Telling traditional Inuit tales from the Iglulik region of Nunavut through song, the film revitalizes ancient knowledge and shares it with future generations.
Germaine Arnaktauyok is an artist and writer originally from Iglulik (Igloolik), NU. Her work explores Inuit myths, stories, and feminist narratives, while also highlighting the cultural and political issues that affect many Inuit, such as the continued impacts of colonization. Her work has been in exhibitions across Canada and internationally.
Neil Christopher is an educator, author, publisher, and filmmaker who has spent most of his adult life in the Eastern Arctic. His interest in mythology and traditional stories has taken him across the circumpolar North to work with community members to research and gather cultural stories before they are lost.
Louise Flaherty grew up in Clyde River, Nunavut. In 2005, with Neil & Danny Christopher, she founded Inhabit Media, a publishing house dedicated to the preservation of Inuit knowledge, language, and values. In 2012, with her partners at Inhabit Media, Louise co-founded Taqqut Productions Inc., a Nunavut-based animation company.
As hunting season begins, a family of capybaras seek refuge in a chicken coop where they are met by distrustful hens. The curiosity of each family’s youngest members creates a bond with unexpected consequences.
Alfredo Soderguit has studied Architecture, Fine Arts, and Art Direction for Cinema as well as illustrated more than 50 books and directed 6 short and feature films. He has been the director of Estudio Palermo, based in Montevideo, Uruguay, since 2007.
When her family gets lost in the jungle, a young girl with a love of tigers learns about leaning on them for support.
Rhea is a director and storyboard artist residing in Los Angeles. During her time at CalArts, she made several short films and has since worked on projects such as The Owl House, Inside Job, and WondLa.
A little girl stumbles into a sacred grove near her village in southern India, disturbing its resident spirit. She is taken on a whirlwind adventure that illuminates the origins of this ancient swamp — from Gondwanaland, through the times of her ancestors, and up to the present. The film is inspired by indigenous ecological practices.
An Indian-born screenwriter based in Paris, Nandini Rao is a graduate of The Oxford School of Drama. The winner of the CANNESFILMS Unlimited residency in 2021, Rao’s work has been awarded by the Geneva International Science in Fiction Screenplay Awards and the Austin Film Festival.
Nirupa Rao is a botanical artist from Bangalore with an interest in public science education. Her work includes two illustrated books on India’s native flora and a National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship to create the film Spirit of the Forest. She was the youngest featured in Kew Botanic Garden’s compilation of Indian artists.
An animator and illustrator who breathes life into digital canvases, Kalp divides his time between Sydney and Kolkata. Drawing inspiration from the folklore of his Indian roots while incorporating influences from his time in Australia, Kalp’s unique perspective infuses his work with rich storytelling traditions.
Caring Cabin is a pilot for a musical children’s show starring the beloved electronic music icon and transgender elder Beverly Glenn-Copeland. Blending archival footage, handmade puppets, and transcendent music, Caring Cabin constructs a cozy and colourful world in which Glenn and his animal friends learn valuable lessons about nature, coping with change, and the power of community.
Chelsea McMullan (they/them) is an award-winning director, writer and producer. Their films have screened at Sundance, TIFF, the BFI London Film Festival and Lincoln Center, among other festivals internationally.
Douglas Nayler Jr. is a Toronto-based writer and filmmaker whose work has been featured at TIFF, Sundance, and the True/False Film Festival, among other festivals internationally.
