What films to look out for as the NBO Film Festival begins on October 15

The Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival returns to Abu Dhabi for its fifth edition, seeking to change the audience's perception of nature rather than solely relying on cinema to save the environment. The festival runs from October 9-11 at NYU Abu Dhabi and features a diverse selection of documentaries, fiction, animation, and conversations with filmmakers, scientists, and conservationists.

The festival's theme, "Mend," reflects a philosophy of repairing and restoring what is valuable, rather than aiming for a pristine, perfect version of nature. Artistic director Nezar Andary emphasizes that environmental cinema should encourage curiosity and avoid overwhelming audiences with alarming statistics or instructions on how to live.

Among the highlights of this year's festival are Ghost Elephants, a documentary by German filmmaker Werner Herzog; Fire of Love, an Oscar-nominated documentary by Sara Dosa about French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft; and Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Icelandic musician Bjork. The festival also screens the restored 4K edition of the 1976 Indian film Manthan, which examines the formation of a dairy cooperative in rural India and its connections to class, collective action, and social change.

In addition to documentaries, the festival includes a restored 4K version of Manthan, the restored 4K edition of Manthan, and episodes of Conservation Diaries, a documentary series produced by Connect with Nature. The festival also features animated shorts and an introduction to fungi by Dima Al Srouri, founder of Dubai venture MycoSphere.

The festival aims to inspire audiences to question their relationships with the natural world and to encourage practical conversations that continue beyond the cinema.