From 1 to 7 June, the fifth edition of Sprouts Film Festival takes place in Amsterdam. Stefanie Gordin spoke to artistic director Thomas Streekstra about eco-cinema, fiction as a tool for climate storytelling, and the festival’s evolving role as a platform for activism and community.

What does it mean to organise a film festival when the climate crisis isn’t a background anymore, but the setting itself? At Sprouts Film Festival in Amsterdam, taking place from 1 to 7 June across different locations in the city, the answer isn’t found in policy or panels, but in fiction: in stories that don’t explain the world so much as bend it.

To understand the importance of these stories, we spoke to artistic director Thomas Streekstra, who thinks that this shift starts with a simple absence: too few fictional climate stories in Dutch cinemas. Documentaries, yes, especially at festivals like IDFA. But fiction? That’s something that is still missing.

“There were already many documentaries about the eco-crisis, but fiction can do something else. It lets you step outside the immediacy of reality.”

“During my studies, I noticed there was little representation of the climate crises in Dutch cinemas, especially in fiction films,” Streekstra says. “There were already many documentaries about the eco-crisis, but fiction can do something else. It lets you step outside the immediacy of reality.” That gap became for him the starting point for Sprouts Film Festival, now in its fifth edition.

What began as a student project at Studio/K in Amsterdam Oost, slowly grew into something bigger than its original space could contain. After two editions, the team made the decision to continue independently, turning the festival into a foundation. Three editions later, it’s still growing, less as an event, more as an ongoing attempt to build a language for eco-cinema, aimed at reaching both younger and older audiences, from people deeply engaged with these themes to those encountering them for the first time in The Netherlands.

From climate crisis to climate stories
Already from the beginning, the festival hasn’t treated ecological themes in isolation, but in a broader meaning. Alongside the Eco Competition and Eco Shorts, structured into thematic “eco blocks” this year, such as WATERWORLDS, POLDEREN and (DE)COMPRESSION, which group films around specific ecological perspectives. The programme also includes a Debut Competition with socially critical films exploring different domains such as colonialism, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s emancipation, and political conflict.

From films like The Reserve (2025) by Pablo Pérez Lombardini, about a park ranger and Indigenous community member Julia who fights to protect her land from illegal logging in Mexico and the violence facing environmental defenders; to Fantasy (2025) by Kukla, following three young tomboys in Slovenia whose bond is reshaped when they meet a trans woman and are each forced to confront questions of identity and self-acceptance. For Streekstra, these social issues are inseparable from climate justice.

One of the biggest challenges the festival is experiencing is finding stories that give people more hope for the future we’re facing. “Audiences are seeing a lot of depressing news and worrying about the climate,” Streekstra says. “Certainly, we must recognize that urgency, but they also react positively to narratives that demonstrate care, solidarity, resilience, and human connection. Hope can be meaningful without needing to be naive.”

The film Arco (2025) directed by Ugo Bienvenu illustrates a tale of hope, featuring a young child dressed in a vibrant rainbow outfit who travels through time from the distant future to 2075 in a community shaped by ecological disaster yet still brimming with color, innovation, and hope.

In this interconnected framework, the festival also positions Palestinian cinema within a broader dialogue. The Genocide in Gaza, Streekstra explains, is intimately linked to conversations on ecology, colonialism and social justice. “The destruction of olive trees, a symbol of cultural and historical continuity, is part of the larger truth that war is ecocide. Not only in Palestine, but also in Ukraine and Sudan.”

The film Chronicles From the Siege (2026), directed by Palestinian-Syrian filmmaker Abdallah Alkhatib, examines this perspective, representing life under siege and highlighting the strong link between environmental decline and political violence.

“(…) We also want the festival to spark resistance and create a sense of community. We often describe cinema as a space for peaceful protest.”

Cinema as a space for collective resistance
Although its political and social influence is growing, Sprouts Film Festival mainly stays focused on cinema. For Streekstra, films are not an illusion of activism, but a space where collective reflection can begin. “We are passionate about film first and foremost,” Streekstra says. “But beyond that, we also want the festival to spark resistance and create a sense of community. We often describe cinema as a space for peaceful protest.”

That concept became particularly concrete two years ago, in 2024, when the festival aligned with pro-Palestina student protests in Amsterdam. For Streekstra, it highlighted that activism can manifest in various ways; for some, a cinema can serve as a place of solidarity just as effectively as the streets.

This year, that focus takes a concrete form through a fundraiser for Sudan, combining film screenings with post-screening conversations, shared dinners and music. Rather than treating cinema as a purely observational experience, the festival aims to create space for collective reflection and exchange.

Central to the fundraiser is Cotton Queen (2025) by director Suzannah Mirghani. Set in Sudan, the film follows a young woman who uncovers her family’s connection to colonial power structures after genetically engineered cotton is introduced to her community. Half of the film’s box office revenue will be donated to relief efforts in Sudan.

For Streekstra, this idea of exchange extends beyond the festival week itself. Increasingly, Sprouts Film Festival describes itself less as a traditional film festival and more as a platform. Alongside screenings during the festival week, it hosts a free-to-visit eco-exhibition featuring work by artists Lou Elie, Cosaque, Jori(k) A. Galama and Erik Peters. “We do more than just showing films,” he explains. “It’s about continuing the conversation in different ways.”

Building an eco-cinema platform for the future
Looking ahead, the next five years are seen as a crucial time. “The festival hopes to expand its network, collaborate with more institutions, and take programmes like Eco Shorts on tour across the Netherlands.”

“There is a growing generation of filmmakers eager to tell important environmental stories, and we want to support that movement.”

At the same time, Sprouts Film Festival is investing in emerging talent through an Industry Day and Eco Shorts Pitch. “There is a growing generation of filmmakers eager to tell important environmental stories,” Streekstra says, “and we want to support that movement.”

One film he is particularly looking forward to is the festival’s opening film Don’t Let the Sun (2025) by Swiss director Jacqueline Zünd. Set in a near future where extreme heat forces people into nocturnal living, it mixes an apocalyptic premise with a surprising sense of tenderness. “It left a big impression on me when I first saw it at Locarno Film Festival,” he says. “It’s both a warning and a reminder of care and human connection.”

Despite growing climate fatigue and political polarisation, Streekstra remains convinced of cinema’s slow but lasting impact. “It can feel like we’re preaching to the choir,” he admits, “but cinema works gradually. Rarely does one film change someone completely. It is often years of exposure to stories that shift how people see the world. That was certainly true for me. The more difficult it becomes, the harder we’re going to fight for it.”

Discover the full programme at www.sproutsfilmfestival.com

Stefanie Gordin is a writer, journalist, and co-founder of Rephrase Magazine.

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