The film directed by James Dawson won the “Environment Grand Prize” at CineEco 2026, in the international feature film competition. Derek vs Derek transports the viewer to Devon (United Kingdom), a peaceful rural area defined by the relationship between two neighboring farmers who share the same name but have different views on land use.. The 32nd edition of the Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival drew more than 3,000 spectators, 1,120 students from schools in the municipality of Seia and the surrounding area, and 45 filmmakers from 15 countries. The CineEco 2026 awards ceremony took place this Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Seia Municipal Cultural Center. The dates for CineEco 2027 have already been set; it will take place from October 8 to 16, with the same goal—use film to reflect on our relationship with the environment and the region.
The baffling, scathing, and entertaining relationship between dairy farmer Derek Banbury—horrified by the devastation of his neighbor’s once-productive farm— and the “renaturalization rebel” (as he is dubbed in the press), Derek Gow, a former cattle rancher determined to transform his land into a haven for nature, won one of the most prestigious awards at the 32nd edition of the Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival. The jury for the Environment Grand Prize (awarded by the Municipality of Seia) highlights the following in James Dawson’s film, DEREK VS DEREK (2026): “ Against a backdrop of evident political and cultural polarization, it is difficult to imagine common ground. The search for solutions to the problems we face—particularly those of an ecological nature—remains hampered by issues such as the apparent complexity of their implementation, resistance to change, the difficulty in establishing dialogue, and a lack of political will. ”
The Honorable Mention went to the film THE SYSTEM(2025) by Joris Postema (Netherlands).
The Camacho Costa Award, part of the Portuguese-Language Feature Film Competition, was awarded to Brazilian director, visual artist, and actress Bárbara Paz. RUA DO PESCADOR No. 6 (2025) is a poignant documentary (in black and white) about the historic flood that struck Rio Grande do Sul in 2024, a catastrophe that laid bare yet another climate emergency in Brazil, specifically in the Porto Alegre region, where more than 600,000 people were left homeless and entire neighborhoods remained submerged for days. Amid pauses to catch one’s breath, silences, the visible, and the invisible, the jury highlights: “ The camera angles and movements in certain scenes of the film metaphorically lead us to emotions and feelings. What is left behind—those people’s wealth, their tangible and intangible heritage. The indescribable emotions—pain, despair, and loss. ”
The Environmental Anthropology Award, part of the International Feature Film Competition, went to the moving and intimate IRON WINTER (2025), by Australian director Kasimir Burgess. The film follows the young Batbold as he faces the greatest challenge of his life: protecting more than a thousand horses during the deadliest winter on record in the remote Tsakhir Valley in Mongolia. The jury highlights the fact that the film explores “the tensions between ancestry and technology, tradition and change, without reducing them to simple oppositions.”
Beyond 1,5 (2026) by Spanish filmmaker Miguel Dorado won the International Short and Medium-Length Film Award. The jury highlighted the film’s “captivating and thought-provoking plot, combined with excellent technical execution,” which addresses the major issues of our time and “offers multiple layers of interpretation.” An Honorable Mention was awarded to REMIGIA’S LESSONS, by Jewel Maranan (Philippines).
The award for Best Portuguese-Language Short and Medium-Length Film went to the film by the filmmaking duo Denilson Baniwa and Felipe M. Bragança, *FLORESTA DO FIM DO MUNDO* (2026). *ALGUMAS COISAS QUE ACONTECEM AO LADO DE UM RIO* (2026) by Daniel Soares received an Honorable Mention.
The Environmental Education Award went to the Brazilian documentary *GUERREIROS PLANTADOS* (2026), directed by José Carbonel and Rui Mendonça.
The Short Film Award for Fiction, Nonfiction, and Animation was presented to *EL CANTO DEL JAGUAR* (2026), Antonia Silva Alvarado (Mexico).
The Animated Short Film Award went to ALLER & RETOUR (2025),by Lucia Bulgheroni and Michele Greco.
In the Regional Panorama Competition, the jury awarded the prize to *MAÇOS E MARTELOS* (2025), by Tiago Cerveira, a documentary about an ancestral tradition that still echoes in the mountains of inland Portugal. The young director, a returning participant at CineEco, has already won three awards in this category alone in 2015, 2019, and 2020. Special Awards were also presented, covering all CineEco competitions: the “Value of Water Award” went to *REPLANTING A GARDEN* by Anthony William Wallace, and the “Youth Award” went to *LA FJELLA LEVE (2026)* by Håvard Bustnes.
Click this link for the complete list of CineEco 2026 winners and honorable mentions.
Films in competition
The 32nd edition of the Serra da Estrela International Environmental Film Festival once again featured a significant number of films submitted for the Official Selection —of the 410 entries (including fiction films and documentaries, both national and international, on video, film, or digital), more than 100 films from 34 countries were included: 86 films competed in the six competitive sections of CineEco’s official program. In the International Feature Film Selection alone, 10 documentaries made their world premiere in Portugal, presenting relevant environmental narratives on economic models, the new challenges of environmental activism, climate apartheid, environmental migration, species, habitats, and resource exploitation across five continents.
The 33rd edition of CineEco already has a set date. It will take place from October 8 to 16 in Seia. Throughout the year, CineEco will tour the country and its islands with its usual outreach programs and will continue to engage the community, with outdoor screenings next summer in the towns and villages of the municipality.
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