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FESTIVAL PROGRAM 14th 15th June 2025
Venue: Makers Cabinet, 8 Vyner Street, Bethnal Green, London, E2 9DG. Most of the films will be followed by Q&As with directors and others involved in projects. Attendees names in green.
22 new films, talks and a vegan curry (available from 1pm), foraged tea and coffee all included in ticket price.
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Saturday 14th June
11:00 am – Opening
11:10 am – Wildlife in London 1961
Director: Bill Morton Duration: 20 mins
Naturalist Aubrey Buxton presents the first part of a new natural history series looking at the constant struggle for nature to survive in the urban environment; wild flowers flourish on bomb sites and waterfowl in the parks, but the same can't be said for fish in the polluted river Thames. Survival was broadcast from 1961 to 2001. In 1996, the filmmakers were awarded a BAFTA Special Craft Award.
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11:30 am – Reclaiming our food system - A Just Food and Climate Transition
Director: Chelsea Jackson, Alison Jeffries (Really Bright Media) Duration: 3 mins
Women's Environmental Network's video showcasing their “Just FACT” food programme; community-led solutions for a sustainable and socially just urban food system. Let us paint you a picture, an emotive and engaging story drawing inspiration from the art of local artist Ellis Lewis-Dragstra who paints an evocative painting in an Urban Garden, while we hear the stories of people contributing to the project.
Followed by Q&A
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12:00 am – The Hidden Life of a Pavement Crack
Director: Susanne Wieland Duration: 10 mins
Discover the hidden ecosystem thriving within a London pavement crack, offering insights into cultural and ecological values beneath our urban landscape. First screened at TNOC The Nature of Cities Festival 2024 Radical Art & Doc Film Festival, Berlin
12:10 am – Giuseppe Intrieri​
A talk about the nature in London, probably the greenest in the world. A trip through photographs to show the amazing biodiversity and landscapes in our home town.
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12:30 pm – Blokes Who Walk: Finding Brotherhood
Director: Afshin Robin Rohani (Out Here Culture/Flee Media) Duration: 10 mins
The Proper Blokes Club is a community project focused on men's mental health, aiming to break down stigma by encouraging open conversation. They primarily organise free "walk and talk" groups across London, providing a supportive environment for men to connect and share what's on their minds whilst being outside in the fresh air. Exploring the joys of walking whilst being surrounded by a little bit of nature.
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1.00 - 1.30 BREAK Food available
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1:30 pm – Dancing with Trees
Director: Eren Kaplan Duration: 5 mins
Parkour athlete Louis Allan explores the transformative power of overcoming fear and the joy he finds through climbing trees in London parks.
Followed by Q&A
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1.50 pm – The Campaign for Warren Farm Nature Reserve Ealing
Directors: Michael Shilling (LondonNationalParkCity) & Richard Carter, Katie Boyles Duration: 4 mins
Warren Farm is a rewilded 61-acre urban meadow, part of Brent River Park (BRP) and located in Norwood Green in the borough of Ealing. Ealing Council have now agreed to give all of WFNR Local Nature Reserve designation, it's 'in process' but is not officially across the line yet with the campaign ongoing to see it delivered.
Followed by Q&A
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2.30 pm – The Campaign for Whitewebbs
Director: Avid Beats Ed Allnutt (Guardians of Whitewebbs) Russell Miller (ReNature London) Duration: 5 mins
The misleading claims made by Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and Enfield Council about Spur's plans to build a private women's training facility on 240 acre Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, comprising grassland and ancient woodland and bought by Enfield Council in 1931 for the public as Green Belt land, held in Public Trust. The grassland was used since the 1930s as a public golf course which recently closed and minimal maintenance has seen it naturally rewilding for locals' enjoyment. The lease stated that if the golf course was to close, it would revert to public use.
2.35 pm – The Illegal Felling of the Whitewebbs Oak
Director: Ian Phillips Russell Miller (ReNature London) Duration: 8 mins
The Whitewebbs Oak, an ancient and nationally significant pedunculate oak tree in Whitewebbs Park, Enfield, was felled in early April 2025. The tree, estimated to be up to 500 years old and with a girth of 6.1 meters, is in the top 100 of London’s 600,000 oak trees for size and was a valuable habitat for many species and was listed on the Woodland Trust's national ancient tree inventory. The felling of the tree sparked outrage, with Enfield Council treating the matter as criminal damage and reporting it to the police.
Followed by Q&A
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​3.30 - 4.15 BREAK Food available
4:15 pm – Small Mammal Recovery and River Restoration on Hackney Marshes
Director: Ian Phillips, Nina Hundt, Russell Miller (ReNature London) Duration: 18 mins
A project to bring small mammals back to Hackney Marshes and restore and improve biodiversity in and along the old River Lea.
Followed by Q&A
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5:30 - 7.15 pm – The Eagle with the Sunlit Eye
Director: Ted Simpson (Scout Studio) Duration: 90 mins
The White Tailed Eagle is the largest bird of prey in the UK. For generations we have struck an uneasy relationship and persecuted them to extinction a century ago. The 1970’s saw this greatest of Eagles brought back to our wild edges and they have even been spotted flying over London.
Followed by Q&A
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7:15 pm – 9pm You are welcome to stay on, we do not have a bar but please BYO.
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Sunday 15th June
11.00 am Introduction
11:05 am – Cranbrook Community Garden
Director: Charlotte Gage Lizzy Mace (Cranbrook Community Garden) Duration: 18 mins
A tour around one of the most inspiring community gardens in London — voted the best in the city for its amazing environmental work. We explore a food forest, a fungarium and various DIY eco-projects. But it’s more than just a garden — it’s a sanctuary for Londoners, a place to not only enjoy nature, but to interact with it and neighbours alike, offering a powerful boost to mental wellbeing.
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​11:25 am – Richard’s Journey
Director: Richard Brown Octavia Duration: 5 mins
Richard's journey - gardening at Regent's Park through the Westminster Employment programme.
Followed by Q&A
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11:50 am – Big City Butterflies
Director: Ben Scarsbrook (Blatella Films) Becki Hawkes (Butterfly Conservation) Duration: 10 mins
Running from 2021-2025, the Big City Butterflies project inspired people across London to discover butterflies and moths, explore their local green spaces and connect with nature.
Followed by Q&A
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12:15 pm – Pymmes Brookers- River of Stories
Director: Alison Archer (Pymmes Brookers), Wendy Charlton, Abe Gibson Duration: 16 mins
A collaboration between Abe Gibson spoken word artist and Alison Archer founder of Pymmes Brookers a river restoration group. This year long project invited small groups of local residents from Edmonton, Enfield on guided walks along the Pymmes Brook to discover what the river means to those who live and/or work alongside.
Followed by Q&A
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​12.45 - 1.20 BREAK Food available
1:20 pm – The Reserve 2024-2025
Director: Karolina Raczynski (Bethnal Green Nature Reserve) Duration: 18 mins
Filmed over the winter period and beginning of spring, the piece explores the nature of volunteering and the broader meanings of work (and rest), focusing on the working life of what lives and grows in the Bethnal Green Nature Reserve.
Followed by Q&A
2:00 pm – Street Tree
Director: Michael Shilling (London National Park City​) Paul Wood, Divya Hariramani Duration: 22 mins
Paul Wood (aka The Street Tree) and Divya Hariramani (aka Fruity Walks) on a hunt in central London for urban fruit trees.
Followed by Q&A
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2:40 pm – Kenninghall Rd Parklet
Director: Michael Shilling (London National Park City) Gerard Tisler, (Hackney Buzzline) Carolyn Axtell (Possible) Duration: 8 mins
Residents of Hackney’s Nightingale Estate have been working hard to create a beautiful parklet on Napoleon Road to create a meeting space for residents.
Followed by Q&A
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3.15 - 3.40 BREAK Food available
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3.40 pm – Abundance
Director/ Creator: Arup’s Foresight team (Malina Dabrowska, Lauren Davies, Eleanor Tomlinson, Emily Clements, Tobias Revell, Ness Lafoy) and Exell Films Duration: 10 mins
What if daily life thrived on regenerative design? Arup University's Foresight team presents "Abundance," a speculative short film envisioning a day in the life of a designer in a regenerative future. The film explores the transition beyond sustainability to a regenerative future and illustrates the vision using regenerative prototypes by companies like SPACE10, RÆBURN, EOOS, Lulu Harrison, and others.
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4.00 pm – Koksuz (Rootless)
Director: Defne Özden Duration: 7 mins
A poetic documentary, conveying the overwhelming atmosphere of the city and discovering a sense of rejuvenation within the peace that nature holds.
Followed by Q&A
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4.30 pm – A selection of Kwesia’s films
Director: Kwesia (City Girl in Nature) Duration: 20 mins
Kwesia is a young changemaker and the creator of the video series City Girl in Nature - on a mission to engage young people from disadvantaged communities living in inner cities to connect with nature.
Followed by Q&A.00
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5.30 - 6.00 BREAK
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6.00pm – Spirit of Place
Director: Jack Cooper Simpson, Hannah Chinn (Produced by On the Edge and WainBrave Productions in association with The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust)
Duration: 26 mins
Athel and Edward enjoy visiting the wetlands. Edward likes watching the birds, whilst Athel seems to have a much deeper connection to the landscape. When Athel makes a discovery, she is forced to re-examine what the wetlands mean to her. A meditation on identity, nature and wellington boots. The story explores human identity, discovery, and the mystery of these under-represented eco-systems. Also featuring Mark Rylance.
Followed by Q&A
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7.00pm Rupture
Director: Sophie Hughes Duration: 4 mins
What ruptures the urban trance? What dismantles the armour plating needed to exist in a metropolis? Ruptures occur through encounters with the urban wild; foxes that stop and stare, lost whales in the river Thames, Burgess Park corvids, a dead stag beetle in Lewisham, mudflats of the estuary and pigeon murmurations over Elephant and Castle. How can we stay interconnected within the webs of life in this vast city?
Followed by Q&A​
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7:30 pm – You are welcome to stay on, we do not have a bar but please BYO.
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2024 Festival Sunday 30th June
VENUE: Makers Cabinet, 4-8 Vyner Street, Hackney, London, E2 9DG
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2.00pm Wellbeing Garden projects with the NHS in Chelsea (10 mins) Followed by Talk / Q&A
A short film about the Violet Melchett Health & Wellbeing Hub’s garden restoration and their visit to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Talk and Q and A by Dana Camino from LMA West London GP Federation and Susi Barran, NHS Speech and Language therapist about the NHS and gardens and personal experiences.
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2.40pm Brent Gets Wilder (4 mins) by Neil Thompson. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, The Wild in Brent project provided opportunities for children who do not have access to green space at home and the repurposing of unused areas in their schools to create wildflower meadows and edible gardens. Alternative View Studios‘ 2D animation ‘Brent Gets Wilder’ tells the story of how LEAP made this happen. The animation was shortlisted in the World Health Organization, Health For All Film Festival 2023, Climate Change and Health category. Caroline D’Souza from Leap and the filmmaker will discuss the film after the screening.
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3.20pm The North Marsh Habitats Project (10 mins) by Ian Phillips. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary followed by a talk. Ian Phillips’ film about a large renaturing project creating habitat for wildlife on the Walthamstow Marshes. Talk between the filmmaker and ecologist and nature conservationist Nina Hundt about their various projects in East London with Re Nature London.
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4.00pm Tea break Free tea & coffee.
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4.20pm Time To Grow (5 mins) by Madeleine Hartley Salim. Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary about Time To Grow by Madeleine Hartley Salim; followed by a talk with Greg Frey, Deba Salim and Madeleine Hartley Salim about the importance of food sovereignty, connecting to the land, and the local community through organic small-scale growing. Time to Grow is an initiative in Walthamstow and Hackney that turns peoples unused gardens into community food growing spaces.
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5.00pm A Whole Bunch of Tomatoes (4 mins) by London Documentary Network (Afshin Robin Rohani) Followed by Talk / Q&A
Short documentary by London Documentary Network about The Garden of Earthly Delights – a garden connecting the community through growing food, herbs and flowers and providing an alternate space for people to run workshops, learn new skills, and connect locally. Talk about setting up the space, the challenges and the joys of working collaboratively for a more sustainable and richer community. Followed by a talk with some of the garden facilitators about the importance of food sovereignty, connecting to the land, and the local community through organic small-scale growing.
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5.40pm This Urban Wild Field in Hackney Marshes (20 mins) by Claire Loussouarn and Dominique Rivoal Followed by Talk / Q&A
An art film in Hackney Marsh connecting to a piece of land through the seasons and over the years through movement and film by Claire Loussouarn. Claire, artist, filmmaker and movement practitioner discusses her new book How to be feral: movement practices to re-wild your body. Dominique Rivoal discusses filmmaking and collaborating with Claire in nature.
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6.30pm Oasis Square: Finding Nature in Russell Square (15 minutes) by Clive Ardagh. Followed by Talk
A short film exploring why students, tourists, locals and volunteers come to Russel Square and what form of emotional nourishment the nature there provides them with followed by a discussion afterwards with the filmmaker, Clive Ardagh.
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7.00pm Community get together. An organic, vegan curry cooked on the fire by Ketchurah Revinden will be on sale for £5. Feel free to bring along your own food/drink of any kind, especially from London’s land. There will be a fire to sit around outside and keep warm from.
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8.00pm Our House (1.2 minutes) by Alexis Bamforth
Alexis Bamforth is an artist and ecology catalyst who has been making links between culture and the natural world for over 30 years. He works across all artforms from sculpture to performance to mass gatherings, making public art for social purpose. www.experimenter.eu