Films about the politics of rewilding, the joy of open-air swimming and the consequences of overfishing are all part of a major environmental festival taking place in the North East of Scotland.
The fourth annual LandxSea festival, which takes place in Montrose from 11-13 September 2026, features films from Scotland, Greenland, Iraq, Croatia, Indonesia and the US and includes three UK premieres and 11 Scottish premieres.
Held in an award-winning three screen community cinema converted from a former swimming pool, the festival also includes seaweed tasting, knot tying and an annual dook, when film makers from around the world plunge into the icy waters of Montrose Bay.
The opening night film is Derek Vs Derek, a light-hearted documentary about a culture clash between two farmers, both called Derek, who have very different approaches to agriculture. Derek Banbury runs an intensive dairy farm in Devon while his neighbour Derek Gow has taken a different path, transforming his fields into a haven for beavers, wild boar and other native species. What begins as a feud, transforms into a revealing portrait of countryside under pressure.
Expressing the Earth, showing on 12 September 2026, is the debut feature film from Scottish director Glenda Rome. The film takes a lyrical journey into geopolitics, combining the work geologist James Hutton with the lyrical insight of writer, philosopher and poet Kenneth White. The film coincides with the 300th anniversary of Hutton’s discoveries.
Among the films making their Scottish premiere at the festival will be All Rivers Spill Their Stories to the Sea, a documentary investigating why thousands of dead crabs washed up on the shore in the North East of England. The feature, directed by Jeanie Finlay, is a David and Goliath story seen through the eyes of fisherman Stan Rennie.
The full programme features ten features and 12 short films. Each of the features is paired with a short film with many followed by a Q&A with the director. The North Light Award is given to the best Scottish film.
The full programme can be viewed on the LandXSea website.
Festival Director Rachel Caplan said: “When I talk to people, they are sometimes surprised that a major international film festival is taking place in a small town in Angus. But Montrose is right at the epicentre of all these conversations about climate, energy and agriculture. It’s home to the biggest offshore wind farm in Europe. It’s where the land meets the sea.”
Sambrooke Scott, Head of Audience Development at Screen Scotland said: “LandxSea is a festival from the heart, one that showcases passionate, urgent, brilliant filmmakers and filmmaking that shine a light on the pressing issues of our day, but which never leaves audiences feeling helpless or maudlin. The filmmakers, speakers and events, provide perspectives and potential solutions ensuring audiences feel part of community that believes in and is motivated by the idea that change is possible.
"It is fantastic to be able to support LandxSea, Rachel Caplan and the team behind the festival. Its creative excellence, necessary and important theme, and connection to its geographic place, all make it one of Scotland's key emerging film festivals.”
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Image credits: Still from Materia Prima, credit Börres Weiffenbach