Next month, Brasov will host the first edition of a special photography and documentary film festival that puts the spotlight on nature. Scheduled for June 1-5, LYNX Festival is the first event of its kind in Romania and aims to raise awareness of nature's importance in people's lives.

The program includes screenings of acclaimed nature documentaries, photography exhibitions, children's activities, and documentary film and photography workshops. The event will also have special international guests and host meetings with local artists.

Ten documentaries have been included in the festival's lineup, among them The Elephant and the Termite (directed by Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone), Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story (director Ben Masters), Lynx (director Laurent Geslin), and My Octopus Teacher (directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed).

There will also be special events and activities for kids, including a special documentary screening, the escape tent - where the little ones will have the opportunity to fight to save the planet, a Quiz with prizes, as well as birdwatching and nature interpretation activities.

At the same time, nature and documentary film enthusiasts can participate in two dedicated events during the festival, namely a masterclass on industry trends and the importance of involvement in nature conservation projects, as well as a photography workshop supported by specialists in this field.

In addition, during and after the festival, the public can visit two nature photography exhibitions, indoors and outdoors.

One of this year's special guests is Ellen Windemuth, producer of My Octopus Teacher and CEO of WaterBear - the first interactive streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet.

Entry to the first edition is free of charge, subject to available seats. To book a seat at documentary screenings, which will take place at Cinema Astra, the interested public can reserve a zero-value ticket here.

LYNX Festival is an initiative of Wild Romania (Romania Salbatica) Association and the FORONA Association. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of nature in people's lives and create an opportunity for meeting and interaction between the general nature-loving public, film and photography professionals, and representatives of environmental NGOs.

Dan Dinu, the festival's artistic director, said: "The idea of this festival was born while participating with the Wild Romania film in festivals […]. We realized that some very good films that make it to such events would never be present in our country, and it would be a shame not to be seen by the Romanian public. Adding photography came naturally, especially since these two fields complement each other."

The Wild Romania (Romania Salbatica) initiative was born in 2010 as an idea of nature photographer Dan Dinu. Some of its projects include the largest documentary about Romania's nature launched in 2021 and multi-awarded in national and international festivals, numerous special educational screenings, photography exhibitions, a unique photo album printed in 9,000 copies (of which approximately 10% were donated to support education), a mobile app with over 5,000 users, and an interactive online community of nearly 150,000 users. It took the form of an association in 2022, aiming to preserve nature by informing and educating people with the help of photography and documentary film.

FORONA (Organization of Nature Photographers from Romania) was founded in 2015 with the aim of developing and promoting the field of nature photography and supporting the conservation of natural areas. Some of the most well-known and appreciated local photographers belong to the association, and the more than 130 members are involved in various nature conservation projects.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: the organizers)