Abu Dhabi Environmental Film Festival Returns With UAE Premieres, Global Films

From a Werner Herzog documentary about elusive elephants to a film narrated by Björk, Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival is returning to Abu Dhabi with three days of films from around the world.

The festival will return for its fifth edition from October 9 to 11 at NYU Abu Dhabi's Blue Hall, with UAE and Gulf premieres, documentaries, animation and short films on the programme.

Organised in collaboration with the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and hosted by NYU Abu Dhabi, this year's edition will be have the theme“Mend”, inspired by an Arabic word meaning to carefully restore something of value.

One of the biggest films in the line-up is Werner Herzog's Ghost Elephants, which will make its Gulf premiere at the festival.

The National Geographic documentary follows a search for a mysterious herd of elephants in Angola and was first shown at the Venice International Film Festival.

Also screening is Fungi: Web of Life, narrated by Icelandic singer Björk, which takes viewers into the world of fungi and their role in ecosystems.

The programme will also include a restored 4K version of Manthan, alongside films that premiered at the 2026 Berlinale and Sundance film festivals.

UAE stories will have their place on screen too.

Conservation Diaries, a five-part documentary series produced by Connect with Nature, will premiere at the festival.

Filmed across the UAE's wadis, coastlines, mangrove forests and rural communities, the series follows scientists, volunteers and local custodians involved in conservation efforts.

Filmmaker Sara Dosa will also be in Abu Dhabi to helm a masterclass, with two of her films screening during the festival.

Her Academy Award-nominated documentary Fire of Love follows volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, while Time and Water premiered at Sundance earlier this year.

Another title on the programme is Evgenia Arbugaeva's Chuuraa, which had its world premiere at Berlinale Shorts 2026.

Beyond the screenings, visitors can expect panel discussions, exhibitions and environmental activities, with a family programme featuring animation and conversations around food, land and water.

Since its launch in 2020, Al Sidr Environmental Film Festival has welcomed more than 5,000 visitors and engaged 2,000 students from over 20 schools across Abu Dhabi.

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