{
  "id": 13080372,
  "title": "Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival returns to Abu Dhabi with message of renewal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/al-sidr-environmental-film-festival-returns-to-abu-dhabi-with-message",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-09T09:34:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/2026/10/09/al-sidr-environmental-film-festival-returns-to-abu-dhabi-with-message-of-renewal/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nAmong 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.\n\nIn 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.\n\nThe festival aims to inspire audiences to question their relationships with the natural world and to encourage practical conversations that continue beyond the cinema.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [
    "Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival returns to Abu Dhabi for fifth edition",
    "Festival theme \"Mend\" emphasizes repairing and restoring nature",
    "Featured films include Ghost Elephants, Fire of Love, and Manthan"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "KBC",
        "title": "What films to look out for as the NBO Film Festival begins on October 15",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/what-films-to-look-out-for-as-the-nbo-film-festival-begins-on-october",
        "published": "2026-10-09T07:32:12.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival returns to Abu Dhabi with message of renewal",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/al-sidr-environmental-film-festival-returns-to-abu-dhabi-with-message-13086361",
        "published": "2026-10-09T09:34:29.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}