BlogOctober 15, 2026
Climate on Screen: Stories That Move Us to Act
Four documentary evenings bring nature, courage, and climate justice into focus during Munich Climate Week.
What happens when a river gets more room? When citizens hold their government to account? When young people decide that waiting is no longer an option?
From Thursday to Sunday, four documentary events offer different ways into the climate conversation: through nature, human rights, activism, and the courage to imagine change. Here’s what to catch—and where to book your seat.
Thursday: When nature, culture, and responsibility flow together
What happens when a river is given more space? FREIFLISEN – Wenn Natur, Kultur und Verantwortung zusammenfließen takes that question as its starting point, bringing together Jan Haft’s Mein Isental and the current FREIFLISEN project.
The film evening is organised by the initiative KLIMAbrauchtWERTE together with WWF Deutschland, Wasserwirtschaftsamt München, and Orchester des Wandels. It brings nature, culture, and responsibility into the same conversation—a chance to explore river restoration from a perspective that reaches beyond water management alone.
Event language: German.
Join: Thursday, 22 October, 20:00 · Rio Filmpalast · €6
Book tickets for FREIFLISEN
Friday: Climate protection is a human right
What happens when citizens hold their state responsible for inadequate climate protection? Trop Chaud–Klimaseniorinnen vs. Switzerland tells the extraordinary story of a group of Swiss women who take on their government and carry their fight all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.
“Climate protection is a human right” is the event’s starting point. The documentary gives that statement a human face, following the women behind the challenge. For anyone interested in climate justice and the relationship between citizens and the state, this is an evening to put on the calendar.
Event language: German
Join: Friday, 23 October, 18:00 · Rio Filmpalast · €6
Saturday: How does nature conservation happen?
Protecting nature takes people willing to make it happen. Wie geht Natur?! looks at the struggle of committed environmental experts and activists between the end of the GDR and the first years after German reunification, as they worked to establish nature parks and protected areas in the new federal states.
The documentary turns attention to the people behind nature conservation at a moment of profound political change. If you’re curious about how protected landscapes come into being—and the work behind them—this screening and film discussion offers a historical perspective on a question that still matters today.
Event language: German.
Join: Saturday, 24 October, 18:00 · Rio Filmpalast · €9.50
Book tickets for Wie geht Natur?!
Sunday: Just Look Up—the power of cinema for climate action
The final screening turns to youth-led climate activism. Just Look Up follows Michael Greenberg and the U.S. movement Climate Defiance. Co-directed by Emma Wall and Betsy Hershey, and executive produced by Adam McKay and Joshua Oppenheimer, the documentary premiered at Tribeca and received the F Award at CPH.
Before the film, a panel featuring Climate Defiance activists will explore the power of cinema and art for climate action, moderated by Tobias Huzarski, Director of the Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCAN). Hosted by OxCAN and Climate Defiance, the event brings the film’s subject and the possibilities of storytelling into one evening.
Event language: English.
Join: Sunday, 25 October · 18:30 · New Maxim cinema, Landshuter Allee 33 · €6
Register for Just Look Up and view event details
Make cinema part of your climate week
These evenings approach climate action from different directions, but share a question: what can people change when they choose to act? A river given room, citizens demanding accountability, activists protecting landscapes or challenging inaction—each offers a different starting point for the conversation.
Choose the story that speaks to you, bring someone along, and make an evening at the cinema part of your Munich Climate Week. Use the links above to book, and explore the full programme to build the rest of your week around it.