The documentary ‘The Town That Drove Away’ by Polish filmmakers Grzegorz Piekarski and Natalia Pietsch claimed the top prize at the 31st Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival (CineEco).
The film was among ten works debuting in the international feature-length film competition at the Seia festival. It chronicles the relocation of the ancient Hasankeyf inhabitants, submerged by a hydroelectric mega-project.
The festival attracted approximately 3,760 attendees, including 1,650 students from schools in Seia, Oliveira do Hospital, Nelas, and Gouveia, along with 59 filmmakers, producers, and actors, as shared by the organizers.
The Camacho Costa Award in the Portuguese-language feature film competition recognized “Enquanto o céu não me espera,” a Brazilian film described as “disarmingly fictional, urgent, and poetic.”
Christiane Garcia, rooted in the Amazon, depicts the story of a humble riverside farmer striving to remain in his ancestral land amidst numerous family hardships.
The Environmental Anthropology Award went to “Katwe” by Nima Shirali, a documentary portraying the lives of residents near Uganda’s saline Lake Katwe, highlighting enduring poverty, corruption, and toxic work conditions amid unfulfilled promises of liberation by politicians.
“Plastic Surgery” from the UK, a thriller by Guy Trevellyan, addressing pollution and microplastics’ impact on humans, secured the International Short and Medium-Length Film Award.
The Portuguese Language Short and Medium-Length Film Prize was awarded to “Cão Sozinho” by Marta Reis Andrade.
“Vânia e Valéria” (Brazil) by Isabela da Silva Alves and Isabella Milena Nascimento da Cunha clinched the Environmental Education Award in the international and Portuguese-language short and medium-length film categories.
“Martha” (Switzerland) by Marcel Barelli, an old silent documentary from the 1910s recently recovered, was recognized in the animation category.
The award for fiction and non-fiction short films honored “L’ancien Monde” (France) by Owen Archinet.
The Regional Panorama Award for works produced in the Serra da Estrela region went to “O último pastor de Sabugueiro” by Laurène da Palma Cavaco.
CineEco is organized by the Municipality of Seia, with high patronage from the President of the Republic and the United Nations Department of Environment, financially supported by DGArtes.
