The Portland EcoFilm Festival’s
Global Ecological Cinema Podcast
Episode Six: TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA (AL OESTE, EN ZAPATA)
Featured Guest: David Bim | Release Date: May 14, 2026
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TRANSCRIPTS | TRANSCRIPCIONES
On this episode of the Global Ecological Cinema Podcast from the Portland EcoFilm Festival, we talk with David Bim, whose film, TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA (AL OESTE EN ZAPATA), earned our festival’s 2026 Black Merlin Grand Prize. The cinematic, feature-length documentary tells a deeply human story of a family's life and love in the Cuban wilderness at the height of Covid-19. Presented in stunning black and white, with immersive, multidimensional soundscapes, it’s a film that fully embodies time and space, nurtures empathy, and lingers in the imagination long after the end credits roll.
Still from the film TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA (AL OESTE, EN ZAPATA)
During the first half of our conversation, we discuss the poetics of place-based filmmaking, the ancient cinematic impulse, and the ecological characteristics of Satyajit Ray’s films, which kept David company as he shot TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA as a one-man crew on location in the Cuban wilderness.
Still from the film TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA (AL OESTE, EN ZAPATA)
Then we focus on TO THE WEST, IN ZAPATA more intently. David shares his experience capturing one of the film’s most iconic sequences while wading chest-deep in the swamp, and we discuss the cyclical nature of the love and land that gives life to his award-winning film.
David Bim
Ecological Film (and book) Recommendations
During this episode, David recommends the following films, which he considers to be ecological:
PATHER PANCHALI (1955 | Dir. Satyajit Ray)
AU HASARD BALTHAZAR (1966 | Dir. Robert Bresson)
STROMBOLI (1950 | Dir. Roberto Rossellini)
GERMANY YEAR ZERO (1948 | Dir. Roberto Rossellini)
All of these films are available to rent at the world’s best video store, Movie Madness, in Portland, Oregon.
David also mentions the following books:
THE POETICS OF SPACE by Gaston Bachelard
DRACULA by Bram Stoker
THE MYTHOF SISYPHUS by Albert Camus
Our interpreter on this episode was Luis Medina—with assistance from Stefania Montaña.
Our theme music is from the song “Earth Worship” by the amazing band, Rubblebucket.
Our podcast is hosted, edited, and produced by Rozzell Medina.
The Portland EcoFilm Festival is a signature program of the Hollywood Theatre, Portland's premier modern-historic movie palace. Learn more at hollywoodtheatre.org.
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.