Echoes of the Earth: Practicing Contemporary Ecocinema

Film Symposium / September 10-14, 2026 / Gut Schönwag, Germany

Introduction

Amid intensifying ecological crises and critical engagement with the Anthropocene, ecological cinema has gained both urgency and visibility. More and more documentary films refuse to treat the environment as a mere backdrop to human existence, foregrounding it instead as an active, resistant, and “speaking” presence. Ecocinema is thus evolving into a dynamic interdisciplinary field at the intersection of the arts, anthropology, and environmental research.

With Echoes of the Earth, we are dedicating three days to this developing field. Conceived as both a symposium and a film festival, the event aims to bring together artistic practice, theoretical and methodological reflection, and collective exchange.

The symposium is organized by the Foraging Research Group at the Rachel Carson Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, in cooperation with the Studienhaus-Stiftung.

Call for Contributions

We invite filmmakers, artists, anthropologists, and scholars in film and cultural studies whose work engages the intersections of art, ecology, and research.

We are especially interested in works that break new ground by approaching the environment not only as a subject, but also as a methodology: more-than-human perspectives, sensory and immersive approaches, decolonial practices, ethnofictional formats, performative experiments, and related methods. Moreover, we call for contributions which center on local and indigenous perspectives or explore dystopian and utopian imaginaries.

Categories of contribution:

Feature, mid-length, and short films

Finished documentaries or hybrid films for the evening festival (no limits regarding the year of production), works-in-progress, film project ideas, etc.

Installations/performances

Sound installation, interactive video performance, etc.

Talks or discussions (20 min)

Methodologies and theories of ecocinema, etc.

Workshops (60 min)

Script writing and storyboarding, funding and distribution, etc.

Schedule and Location

Gut Schönwag is located between Munich and the Bavarian Alps in the town of Wessobrunn. Here, we will be accommodated over the course of three full days. This setting offers great opportunities for outdoor sessions and practical activities.

Daytime – Symposium

Approximately 20 invited participants will take part in workshops, talks, and conversations. Together, the participants will discuss their current academic and audiovisual projects, share methodological approaches, and share knowledge on funding and distribution strategies.

Evening – Film festival

In a nearby cinema, selected films will be screened publicly, followed by in-depth conversations with the filmmakers in attendance. There will also be a possibility for selected installations and performances to be presented.

Accommodation and Access

Accommodation and meals are provided for all participants. A limited number of travel grants are available. Priority will be given to those without access to travel funding.

The location is accessible by car, and we will provide a shuttle service. If you have specific accessibility needs, please contact the organizing team.

Submission Guidelines

Please submit a proposal (max. 300 words) outlining your contribution, along with a short bio (max. 150 words). Please include the details on your format, length of your presentation/audio-visual work, and technical requirements. For films or other artistic contributions, please include the link to your work and list the events it has been presented at so far.

Registration opens: March 30, 2026
Submission deadline: May 15, 2026
Notification of acceptance: June 15, 2026

The symposium will be on-site only; remote or online participation is not possible. Please indicate in your submission where you would be traveling from.

Contact

Sina Mareen Reiss – sinamareenreiss@gmail.com 📩
Pauline-Sophie Prückner – pauline.prueckner@gmail.com 📩

We look forward to your contributions!