The Portland EcoFilm Festival’s
Global Ecological Cinema Podcast
Episode Four: DISTANCE TO THE MOON

Featured Guests: Sacha Kyle and Giles Lamb | Release Date: March 26, 2026

No Spoilers

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DISTANCE TO THE MOON is a stop-motion animation film about X, the last human survivor on a desolate Earth. He discovers a ladder that stretches infinitely into space and goes on a journey that isn't just physical. He traverses solitude, memory, grief, and hope through encounters with a variety of meaningful beings along the way. For this episode, we spoke with the film's writer and co-director, Sacha Kyle, and composer, Giles Lamb.

We discussed finding inspiration in the more than human world, expanding our imaginations around ecological grief and grieving, simultaneously loving, and letting go of, what the world has become--and more.

This episode features audio excerpts of Giles' hauntingly beautiful score for the film--and a brief excerpt from Max Richter’s Sleep at 18:10.

DISTANCE TO THE MOON is an Official Selection in the 2026 Portland EcoFilm festival. It was featured in our EXPANSIVE ECOLOGICAL IMAGINATION 1 program on March 26, 2026 at the Hollywood Theatre (sponsored by SOLVE).

Ecological Film and music Recommendations

In this episode, Sacha Kyle recommends the following ecological films:

THE LORAX (1972 | Dir. Hawley Pratt) and (2012 | Dir. Chris Renaud)

GRIZZLY MAN (2005 | Dir. Werner Herzog)

FIRE OF LOVE (2022 | Dir. Sara Dosa)

INTO THE WILD (2007 | Dir. Sean Penn)

Both versions of THE LORAX, GRIZZLY MAN, and INTO THE WILD are all available to rent at the world’s best video store, Movie Madness, in Portland, Oregon.

Giles Lamb gives the following ecological music recommendations:

John Cage (including 4’33”)

Pauline Oliveros (deep listening)

Max Richter (including Sleep)

Please subscribe, share, and give us a great review! Thanks for listening, for supporting global ecological cinema, and for all the good you do in the world!

Our theme music is from the song “Earth Worship” by the amazing band, Rubblebucket.

Our podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by our festival director, Rozzell Medina.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this program are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Film Forever Northwest or its affiliate

The homes were destroyed, and so were the ancient orchards. The stated reason for the mass displacement was the construction of Marota City, a shiny new urban development project scheduled to contain luxury homes, skyscrapers, and commercial centers.

But according to our guest —and many others—an underlying reason for the displacement was revenge.

During the Syrian Revolution, the beloved trees, once treasured for fruit and shade, provided tactical cover, making Basateen al-Razi a center of strong resistance to the now former dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

We discuss the use of CGI and VFX by Antoine and his collaborators to tell a story of collective rebellion and loss, the old, troubling relationship between authoritarianism and urban planning, ecological cinema as counter-propaganda, and much more.

Films Recommended and Mentioned

Antoine gives the following film recommendations relevant to our conversation:

TAMING THE GARDEN (2021 | Dir. Salomé Jashi)

STILL RECORDING (2018 | Dir. Saeed Al Batal, Ghiath Ayoub)

TASTE OF CEMENT (2017 | Dir. Ziad Kalthoum)

BAYIT (HOUSE or A HOUSE IN JERUSALEM) (1980 | Dir. Amos Gitai)

Also discussed in relation to the theme of community destroyed by wickedness:

DOGVILLE (2004 | Dir. Lars von Trier)

TAMING THE GARDEN and DOGVILLE are available to rent at the world’s best video store, Movie Madness, in Portland, Oregon.

AL BASATEEN is featured in our EXPANSIVE ECOLOGICAL IMAGINATION 1 program on March 26, 2026 at the Hollywood Theatre (sponsored by SOLVE).

Our theme music is from the song “Earth Worship” by the amazing band, Rubblebucket.

Our podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by our festival director, Rozzell Medina.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this program are solely those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of Film Forever Northwest or its affiliates.