FICMEC Concludes 28th Edition With Focus on Environmental Cinema and Sustainability

The 28th Canary Islands International Environmental Film Festival (FICMEC) has wrapped up in Icod de los Vinos. More than just a platform for activism, the festival has established itself as a space for artistic exploration, using cinema to rethink our relationship with the environment through both speculative storytelling and discussions on food sovereignty.

A highlight of this year’s festival was Japanese filmmaker Momoko Seto, who presented her feature film Dandelion’s Odyssey (2025). The film is a technical marvel, blending 3D-animated characters—four dandelion seeds navigating a post-apocalyptic world—with real-life macro-photography and time-lapse footage. By shifting the viewer’s perspective to a non-human scale, the film encourages a sensory connection to nature rather than relying on traditional political messaging.

The festival also balanced these artistic themes with a focus on practical sustainability. The closing day featured the "Sustainable Cooking" section, showcasing the documentary Jota Urondo, un cocinero impertinente (2025). The film explores the career of chef Javier Urondo and challenges the standardized habits of the global food industry. To complement the screening, a "kilometer zero" dining experience was held in collaboration with IES San Marcos, emphasizing how local food can serve as a form of cultural identity and resistance against mass-market homogenization.

The event also supported emerging talent through the fifth annual ECOrueda, where students and professionals created short films focused on sustainability. Meanwhile, the 14th Environmental Fair in the Plaza de la Pila rounded out the festival, combining scientific outreach with displays of ecological production. Together, these events highlighted FICMEC’s ongoing mission to bridge the gap between artistic expression and a more conscious, sustainable way of life.