Since 1995, environmental cinema has been the focus of Portuguese festivals.

Talking about cinema goes far beyond its entertainment function, and one cannot fail to mention the use of this art form as a pedagogical tool. In fact, in a scenario where the film industry is increasingly present, with Portuguese cinemas reaching 862,000 people in April alone, production also focuses on the main issues that audiences want to watch.

In essence, the seventh art turned its attention to the emerging themes of the century, combining leisure with education. To understand this concept, just think about the technological age we live in.

In an environment where digital technology has become an extension of the Portuguese language, topics such as the most common passwords such as sequences of numbers and the word “password” are being questioned. do not blog ExpressVPN –, or the cookie policy available on any website you visit. That’s why films like Hacked privacy and love the series Mr. Robotfocused on technological safety.

CineEco: Where Big Screens Drive Sustainability

The other side of cinema is aimed at the ecosystem. This is where the term “medium cinema” comes in. CineEco motif – Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival.

The initiative already has a long history, were it not for its first edition in 1995. As in previous years, the festival has become an international landmark and takes place every October in Seiya. However, the project started implementing some of its extensions earlier.

One of them was at the Camacho Costa cinema, in Odemir, which took place from 13 to 15 May and was part of Earthfest. Screening of documentaries such as Once you know e I am Greta which, as the name suggests, is based on and stars Greta Thunberg, the presentation also featured initiatives for all ages with a focus on short films.

But what is environmental cinema?

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You must have heard of films like Cowspiracy: The Secret to Sustainabilityfocused on the effects of over-farming, or else Ocean of plastic, the main theme of which is the impact of this material on the sea. Another very popular example is O Sal da Terra, which mainly explores human impact on a wide variety of aspects of the ecosystem.

All these are ecological films, that is, productions aimed at popularizing and understanding environmental problems. Although this concept is not very old, first introduced sometime in the 80s, it is already a seventh art trend.

From documentaries to mini-series, the approaches can be different, but always with the same goal – to bring these issues to the public, using the voice and experience of experts from different sectors or environmental activists. In addition, there seems to be a very clear basis between most of these works, that is, a more or less healthy relationship between people and the environment.

In fact, sustainability is one of the new topics when it comes to the seventh art. This is another proof that cinema has begun to break away from traditional ideas, exploring the most diverse social problems of our time.