The Green Eye Festival programme will be held from May 20 to 22, 2026, at the Natural History Museum in Zagreb
The Green Eye Festival programme will be held from May 20 to 22, 2026, at the Natural History Museum in Zagreb
Earth, water, air, and fire are the fundamental elements of our world. However, in an era when the natural balance is more disturbed than ever, the Green Eye Festival, in its guest edition in Zagreb, is searching for the fifth element – human awareness and responsibility. Through documentary films, the festival invites us to re-examine our role in nature and find a path towards ecological stability and a sustainable future.
Green Eye Festival program
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Theme of the day: POLLINATORS
The first day of the festival is dedicated to pollinators as key guardians of a balance in nature.
On World Bee Day, the Green Eye Festival opens with the topic of pollinators as one of the most sensitive indicators of the state of nature. Through films and conversations with experts, we examine how air, climate, and human influence shape the fate of creatures on which biodiversity, food production, and the natural balance depend.
By searching for the "fifth element", we open up space for the question of what we would have to change today to preserve life that often takes place above our heads, which we do not see, and which nevertheless determines our future.
17:00/5 pm Opening of the guest edition of the Green Eye Festival and welcoming remarks from the organizers
17:15 POLLINATORS UNDER PRESSURE / Pollinators Under Pressure (12′)
In a short film about pollinators, the actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio presents the diverse perspectives of federal agency representatives, NGOs, and youth working in local communities to help people understand how their daily activities affect pollinators and their habitats. The film offers a clear message: saving bees and other pollinators means saving our health, our food, and our survival.
17:30 Thematic panel: Pollinators – guardians of life on the brink of survival
Pollinators such as bees, butterflies, and other insects are under increasing pressure due to the excessive use of pesticides, habitat loss, and climate change, and their decline threatens the stability of ecosystems and food production. At the panel, experts will discuss the main causes of the crisis and present concrete solutions that farmers, local communities, and citizens can implement to protect these vital architects of nature.
Panelists:
Igor Kreitmeyer, the Director of the Administration for Nature Protection
Martina Šašić Kljajo, Senior Museum Advisor, Head of the Zoological Department at the Croatian Natural History Museum
Karmela Adžić, Croatian Society for Biological Research
Filip Raponja, beekeeper and entrepreneur, founder of the eco-project Plan Bee
20:00/8 pm POLLINATORS / The Pollinators (92′)
This film journey across the United States follows beekeepers and their trucks full of honeybees, as they pollinate the flowers that will turn into the fruits, nuts, and vegetables we all eat. In addition to the beekeepers, the film also refers to farmers, scientists, and chefs, who highlight the weaknesses of intensive agriculture that overuses chemicals, but further point out that there are more sustainable models of food production.
Thursday, 21 May 2026
Theme of the day: WATER
The second day of the festival is dedicated to the element without which life cannot exist: water. From sensitive river deltas to the vast expanses of the ocean, water is under unprecedented pressure today. Through films and conversations, the fragile boundary is explored between human needs and the right of nature to freely flow. We try to find an answer to two important questions: how to keep the sea clean from plastic, and how to reconcile energy appetites, mass tourism, and the silence of rivers. Water connects us, but it also warns us: the way we treat it, is the way we treat our own future.
11:00/11 am ONCE YOU KNOW / Once You Know (104′) Once You Know
In this documentary film, directed by Emmanuel Cappellino, the author observes and explores a world that has found itself on the brink of collapse due to climate change.
Faced with an uncertain future, his generation is turning to climatologists, local authorities, and ecological associations and activists to find a way out of this difficult situation.
17:00/5 pm BLUE RIVER / River Blue (95′) River Blue
This documentary film follows international activist Marco Angelo as he uncovers how the textile industry is destroying rivers around the world: from India to China to Bangladesh, the chemical dyeing processes for denim jeans and the irresponsible disposal of toxic waste are devastating freshwater ecosystems and endangering millions of people who depend on these water courses. At the same time, the film presents sustainable solutions that offer hope for the future of the planet.
18:30 Thematic panel: Water – the essence of life
The panel begins with a reflection on how our decisions - leading to uncontrolled construction and environmental pollution, including waterways - are “mirrored” in water and return to us through floods, droughts, and the loss of biodiversity. It raises the question of what kind of future we are building in a world where drinking water is becoming an increasingly uncertain resource.
Panelists:
Nella Slavica, the Director of the Public Institute of Krka National Park
Mario Šiljeg, the Director of the Water Institute Josip Juraj Strossmayer
Siniša Golub, educator and publicist, author of numerous popular science and travel books
Draško Holcer, Senior Museum Advisor at the Croatian Natural History Museum
20:00/8 pm EVERY LITTLE THING / Every Little Thing (93′)
This Sundance Film Festival hit introduces us to wildlife rehabilitator Terry Masear, who has an ambitious goal: to save all the injured hummingbirds in Los Angeles. In Terry’s eyes, every bird is unforgettable, powerful, and heroic. Her compassion and empathy remind us that miracles can be found in the smallest of deeds and the tiniest of creatures. The film highlights the fact that one person’s dedication can change the fate of an entire series of “invisible” creatures living in a city.
Friday, 22 May 2026 (International Biodiversity Day)
Theme of the day: BIODIVERSITY
11:00/11 am COMMON GROUND / Common Ground (101′) Common Ground
The film traces the emergence of a new movement that is abandoning industrial agriculture and returning to collaboration with nature, showing how regenerative practices can simultaneously restore soil fertility, produce healthier food, strengthen local communities, and successfully combat climate change. Through the stories of farmers, scientists, and activists, the documentary offers concrete solutions and hope for a future in which agriculture is part of the solution, and not the problem.
17:00/5 pm MY GARDEN OF A THOUSAND BEES / My Garden of a Thousand Bees (53′) My Garden of a Thousand Bees
The film follows renowned filmmaker Martin Dohrn, who, during the COVID-19 pandemic, turned his camera lens towards the bees that live in his garden in Bristol, England. The film shows in a surprising and spectacular way that even a small city garden can be a haven for pollinators, and encourages viewers to open their own eyes to the richness of the living world right on their doorsteps.
18:00/6 pm Closing of the festival – panel: "The Mosaic of Life - the Importance of Biodiversity"
What happens to the entire picture when individual parts of it disappear, when we lose "small" species, invisible organisms in the soil, pollinators, or parts of habitats? The panel participants use concrete examples to show how the loss of diversity changes the stability of ecosystems, how it reduces resilience to climate change, and how it ultimately affects the quality of people's lives.
Panelists:
Ana Ješovnik, Head of the Collection at the Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science (PMF)
Biljana Janev Hutinec, Head of Research and Development at the Public Institute for the Management of Natural Values of the City of Zagreb
Aljoša Duplić, the Institute for Environmental and Nature Protection
Kruno Pekas (Gardener Kruno), landscape designer, motivational bio-gardener, horticultural influencer and activist
20:00/8 pm GREEN CITY LIFE / Green City Life (92′) 2040 and Green City Life
The film attempts to answer the question of what makes a city healthy, and how to build the greener and cleaner cities of tomorrow by reconnecting with nature and combining the benefits of rural life with the advantages of the urban world. This inspiring documentary connects solutions such as regeneration, urban agriculture, and the use of bio-waste to build greener and healthier cities for all.
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