Cinema In Verde begins today—the first environmental film festival that, from now until Sunday, October 1st, will host unreleased and international films, each exploring environmental themes through their own artistic lens.
The festival’s opening is scheduled for today at 6:30 PM, with the participation of public institutions including Sabrina Alfonsi, Councillor for Agriculture, Environment, and Waste Cycle of Rome Capital; Rocco Ferraro, Environmental Delegate of the Metropolitan City of Rome; Fabio Attorre, Director of the Botanical Garden; Livio De Santoli, Pro-Rector for Sustainability at the University of Rome La Sapienza; Leonardo Carmenati from AICS – the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation; and Simonetta Lombardo, founder of Silverback, the green communication agency that conceived and produced Cinema In Verde. The event will be moderated by Fulvia Caprara, journalist at La Stampa.
“We wanted, as an administration, to support this first environmental film festival in Rome because we believe that the environment and the challenges posed by climate change cannot be told only through data and scientific studies, but need stories,” explains Sabrina Alfonsi, Councillor for Agriculture, Environment, and Waste Cycle of Rome Capital. “The expressive power of images and storytelling can influence our awareness and behaviors. These films speak to us about fears of the future, new threats to our ecosystems, but also about hope—about ideas and projects that were fought for and became reality. Rome is the city of cinema, and this Festival, in its uniqueness, is a precious opportunity to understand how films can tell stories about the environment that move and inspire reflection.”
A journalist investigating toxic algae on a beach in Brittany—based on a true story that will uncover the responsibility of local agricultural industries; an architect who has spent years fighting to bring a breath of fresh air to his city by creating a public natural garden; the political and environmental awareness of young people in an urban suburb who fight to preserve the last patch of green in their neighborhood.
Green Tide, Beating Sun, and The Horizon are among the six films competing in the first official selection of Cinema In Verde, the International Environmental Film Festival.
The Dam, And The Birds Rained Down, and the Italian film Pluto complete the competition lineup.
Claudia Gerini will host the awards ceremony on the final day of the Festival, Sunday, October 1st, during which the winner of the Ginkgo d’Oro award will be announced. The prize is awarded by a jury composed of professionals from the film and environmental sectors.
“We chose the symbol of the Ginkgo leaf because, beyond its beauty, it represents resilience to human impact—as demonstrated by the trees of this species that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima,” explains Fabio Attorre, who adds: “I’m deeply honored to host the first edition of the Environmental Film Festival here in Rome, at the Botanical Garden. One of the Botanical Garden’s core missions is to raise public awareness of critical issues related to nature conservation and environmental sustainability, all grounded in solid scientific foundations.”
The program includes several opportunities for discussion between directors, actors, and professionals involved in the festival. On Saturday afternoon at 4 PM, there will be a special talk with director Paolo Virzì, who will share the origin story of his film Siccità (Drought) in a conversation on creativity and storytelling around environmental issues, joined by the environmentalist who inspired the film and Bruno Arpaia, a writer known for his future-oriented narratives. Following the talk, there will be a screening of Pluto by Renzo Carbonera, starring Andrea Pennacchi.
In the afternoons, there will be a retrospective of films released in recent years that have helped shape a culture more attuned to environmental issues. In addition, several talks will focus on topics such as sustainability in cinema, biodiversity protection for urban livability, and the narrative elements of environmental themes. Each morning from Thursday to Saturday will feature a workshop on the development and production of scientific and environmental documentaries, mainly aimed at young participants. The goal is to teach how to create an informative short film, with contributions from documentary filmmakers and journalists such as Stefano Liberti.
“Cinema In Verde is the first environmental film festival entirely dedicated to fiction films—stories, in other words. Because to truly support the shift toward ecological transformation, we must give space to emotions—especially positive ones,” says Simonetta Lombardo, founder of Silverback. “The six competing films are exceptional stories about ordinary people who chose not to worry about the future but to take action. A communication agency that works exclusively in the field of the environment can only aim to provoke real and positive change—and cinema will be a powerful ally in this mission.”
Cinema has long shown a growing interest in environmental and sustainability issues—social and economic included—and seeks to document these topics through a curated selection of high-quality international films and in-depth discussions. These moments of reflection, led by experts in cinema and environmental fields, offer multiple perspectives on the world we live in and the one we aspire to, combining the lenses of art and scientific research.
But there is also concrete action. The Festival is a low environmental impact and carbon neutral event. Thanks to its collaboration with Zen2030, all of the festival’s consumption—covering energy, transportation, mobility, catering, materials, accommodation, and waste—will be monitored, recorded, and translated into CO₂ equivalent emissions.
Cinema In Verde is a project supported by the Department for the Environment of the City of Rome, conceived and produced by the green communication agency Silverback, the Botanical Garden – Department of Environmental Biology, and the Sapienza University’s Museum Hub. It is held under the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Department of Culture of the City of Rome, with the scientific partnership of Zen2030.
