Expansive Ecological Imagination

Life on Earth deserves humanity’s expansive ecological imagination, and our collective situation demands it.

In 2026, we began to very intentionally explore the theme of Expansive Ecological Imagination. This was inspired by the realization that so many filmmakers are and have been exploring ecological themes with such profound imagination that it would serve all living beings if we would explore this cinematic work together to expand our ecological imaginations, individually and collectively.

official selections

While it could be said of all the films that we exhibit that they offer something to expand our ecological imagination, here are the official selections designated specifically for this theme in 2026:

AKABABURU: EXPRESSION OF ASTONISHMENT
AL BASATEEN (THE ORCHARDS)
BALCONADA
DISTANCE TO THE MOON
EMBODIED
HOW A RIVER IS BORN
PYROPHILES: ON FIRE AND FUNGI
VOX HUMANA
WATER SPORTS
WITNESS: AN ORGANIMA FILM

live score

Within this series, Kalmia Traver (Rubblebucket, Kalbells) brought a new, original live score for Jean Painlevé’s 1928 silent film THE OCTOPUS to the Hollywood Theatre on March 26, 2026.

Repertory screenings and Podcast

We also delved into the expansive ecological imaginations of Agnès Varda and Kōbō Abe with screenings of THE GLEANERS AND I and WOMAN IN THE DUNES (35mm)—accompanied by special episodes of our Global Ecological Cinema Podcast with Kiva Reardon and Dr. Timothy Iles.

Questions

Our festival director, Rozzell Medina, prepared this list of questions to inspire reflection and dialogue about Expansive Ecological Imagination. (Available here as a PDF download)

Q: Is ecological imagination something you’ve given much, or any thought to, previously?

Q: Off the top of your head, what comes to mind when you read or hear the phrase expansive ecological imagination?

Q: What can you do on a daily basis to expand your ecological imagination?

Q: Beyond the quotidian (everyday), what are some novel experiences/experiments that you can try/do to expand your ecological imagination?

Q: Which people in your life do you consider to possess/demonstrate expansive ecological imagination?

What is it about them?

Q: In what ways do you consider yourself to possess/embody ecological imagination?

Q: Do obstacles exist that are prohibiting you from taking more time to explore, expand, and nurture your ecological imagination? If so, what are they?

Q: Are these obstacles that you have actually experienced in this specific endeavor, or obstacles that you imagine/anticipate?

Q: How might you overcome these obstacles, perhaps with existing support that is unutilized or underutilzed, including in community?

Q: Which aspects of your ways of perceiving and being in the world might be vital aspects of your ecological imagination, but you’ve never called/considered them that before?

Q: Which people in your life might be willing and gracious allies/collaborators in a quest to expand your ecological imagination? How might you invite them to be/do that?

Q: Which people beyond your immediate collective do you (or might you) commune with via art, literature, cinema, etc. for insights and inspiration to nurture/expand your ecological imagination?

Q: What might your life feel and be like if you more consciously/intentionally make time and do things to nurture/expand your ecological imagination?

Q: In which conditions, would you say, is a collective embrace of expansive ecological imagination most likely to thrive...

in your immediate surroundings at any given moment?
in your house/home?
in your community/communities as defined by you?
in your city, state, country, planet, etc.?
in the cosmos as defined by you?

Q: How do/might you contribute to these conditions?

Q: What will your community look and feel like when more people think, talk, and be about expansive ecological imagination?

Q: What questions do you have that could be included in future iterations of this list? Will you email them to: rozzell@hollywoodtheatre.org?