The Global Media Festival is Georgia Tech’s annual film and discussion series focusing on sustainability and the UN SDGs across languages and cultures.
The GMF 2025 is proud to be part of Ivan Allen College’s Year of Liberal Arts, a year-long series of events exploring the powerful intersection of humanities and STEM, transforming the future of education and research. This year’s festival is the product of close collaboration among colleagues from the School of Modern Languages, the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, and the School of History and Sociology.
We are thrilled to present 10 curated events highlighting countries and regions including Canada, China, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, and the United States. Through exclusive discussions with directors, screenwriters, and experts, we will delve into pressing global themes such as food production, eco-tourism, land use, climate change, gender inequality, autism, and war & peace.
Mark your calendars! The GMF 2025 will feature events on January 29th, March 2nd, as well as the two weeks from March 24th to April 4th, 2025.
✨ ALL SCREENINGS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! ✨
All events will take place in the Cypress and Atlantic Theaters at Georgia Tech’s John Lewis Student Center. In addition to promoting sustainability, the festival celebrates global food culture—unique cuisine from around the world will be provided FOR FREE!
Featured Events
SOYALISM (2018)
Film Screening and exclusive online conversation with directors Stefano Liberti and Enrico Parenti
The thought-provoking documentary Soyalism follows Stefano Liberti and Enrico Parenti as they investigate the global industrial food system dominated by multinational corporations. They explore the environmental destruction, economic inequality, and unsustainability tied to industrial farming practices. Traveling across the globe, the filmmakers uncover the struggles of small farmers, the exploitation of natural resources, and the far-reaching consequences of corporate control over food production. Focusing on food industry, the film follows the industrial production chain of pork and the related soybean monoculture from China to Brazil through the United States and Mozambique.
Wednesday, January 29th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 4:30-6:30 P.M.
Free Chinese Food will be provided! Register at this link
FESTIN BORÉAL (“WILD FEAST”), (Canada, 2023)
Film Screening and exclusive online discussion with filmmaker Robert Morin
A wounded moose escapes its hunters, later dying deep in the forest and becoming… a communal feast. As the seasons go by, mammals, birds and insects invite themselves to the banquet – multiplying ensuing games, rituals and conflicts. In exploring and occasionally foiling nature’s wildlife codes, our story becomes a simple yet poignant reflection on death, on its natural place in this world and, by extension, on its deeper meaning and purpose.
Film director, Robert Morin, is joining online as a special guest to discuss the making of the film and its themes.
Critically acclaimed, Wild Feast is an incredible feat of filmmaking and a thrilling and innovative take on the nature documentary.
Watch the trailer!
This screening is sponsored by the Québec Government Office in Atlanta and is part of the Francophonie Atlanta Events.
Sunday, March 2nd | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 2:30-5:00 P.M.
A French reception will follow the screening. Register at this link
MASAAN (India, 2015)
Select scenes and exclusive in-person discussion with screenwriter Varun Grover
Four lives intersect in the holy city of Varanasi in the award-winning and critically acclaimed 2015 film Masaan (directed by Neeraj Ghaywan). A young boy disrupts rigid caste boundaries as he falls in love with a girl from a different caste, a daughter is guilt-ridden after a sexual encounter that culminates in a tragedy, a hapless father struggles with fading morality, and a child desires to escape the moral constructs of their society. Watch the trailer!
The award-winning screenwriter Varun Grover is joining as a special guest to discuss the making of the film and its themes. Learn more about the Hindi film industry and its narrative forms through a path-breaking film.
The First Indian Event in GMF!
Monday, March 24th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:00-7:00 P.M.
Free Indian food will be provided! Register at this link
EIN GANZES LEBEN (“A WHOLE LIFE”) (Germany/Austria, 2023)
Film screening and exclusive virtual discussion with director Hans Steinbichler
At the turn of the 20th century, the young orphan Andreas Egger is sent to live with his uncle on a farm in a remote valley in the Alps. Andreas endures a childhood without affection, full of brutality, and hard labor. As a young man, Andreas, crippled by his uncle, works on the construction of the newly invented mountain cableways. Maria becomes the love of his life, before Andreas fights for the German Wehrmacht on the Russian frontline. The film chronicles the arduous, rich life of the humble Andreas Egger over eight decades in stunning visuals.
Join director Hans Steinbichler to discuss the origin of alpine tourism, the resilience of the human spirit, and his cinematic vision. Watch the trailer in German or in English.
Tuesday, March 25th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:30-7:30 P.M.
Free food will be provided! Register at this link
VERITAS (Cuba, 2022)
Film screening and exclusive in-person discussion with director Eliecer Jimenez Almeida
The First Cuban Event in GMF!
This documentary film challenges the official Cuban historical narrative through the testimonies of members of Brigade 2506, who launched the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. Told through the voices of several of its protagonists and with the perspective gained over more than 60 years, the film revisits events ranging from military preparation and the battle on Cuban shores to the abuses suffered in prison and their eventual liberation. The horrors of war and the profound sense of abandonment—stemming from the promised aid that never arrived—are vividly relived by these men. From exile, they reflect not only on a pivotal episode in Cuba’s revolutionary history but also on a series of events significant to the history of the United States.
Watch the trailer!
Join director Eliecer Jiménez Almeida and the executive producer Angélica M. Loucraftin in person for a discussion on the making of the film and their experiences and insights.
Wednesday, March 26th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:00-7:00 P.M.
Free Cuban food will be provided! Register at this link
LIFE OF IVANNA (Russia, Norway, Estonia and Finland, 2021)
Film screening and exclusive online discussion with director Renato Borrayo Serrano
The First Russian Film in the GMF!
Strong and independent Ivanna, a 26-year-old Nenets mother of five, is living in the Arctic region in northwest Siberia. She leads a traditional nomadic life, skillfully herding reindeer through the vast tundra, moving her house on a sled with her small nomadic community and enduring extreme colds. But due to the environmental side effects of climate change her reindeers are dying, and she is forced to make a dramatic decision. She will leave the tundra, move to the city, and get a job at Gazprom. There, she is confronted with new problems: the father of her children, Gena, who left for the city earlier, has become an alcoholic, and the civilized city life in Norilsk is not what she expected. There is no way back, though. Ivanna will have to take life in her own hands and secure a future for her and her five children.
Both an emancipatory drama and a melancholic requiem for the lost way of life in the tundra, this award-winning documentary follows Ivanna and her family closely for four years through her dramatic life changes. Watch the trailer!
The screening will be followed by a virtual discussion with the director, Renato Borrayo Serrano, a native of Guatemala who received his education at the storied Russian film school VGIK.
Friday, March 28th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:30-7:30 P.M.
Free Russian food will be provided! Register at this link
NAVIGATING AUTISM IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR (U.S., 2024)
Film Screening and exclusive panel discussion with producer Jennifer Singh, director John Thornton, and parents who are featured in the documentary
Navigating Autism in Communities of Color, highlights caregiver experiences of obtaining a diagnosis, accessing services, and advocating for their children. Based on stories from six Black families and their children with autism, the film examines the unique struggles of navigating autism in a structurally unequal society and determination for equal access.
Watch the trailer!
A Documentary Made in Georgia Tech! Documentary Website
Saturday, March 29th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 3:00-5:00 P.M.
Free Southern food will be provided! Register at this link
DEAD SEA GUARDIANS (Israel, Jordan, Palestine, 2021) & FORAGERS (Palestine, 2022)
Select Scenes, and In-person Discussion Panel with Ido and Ayalet Glass
Join us for a special screening of select scenes from Dead Sea Guardians (directed by Yoav Kleinman, Ido Glass) and Foragers (directed by Jumana Manna), two compelling films that explore environmental and political challenges in the Middle East.
Dead Sea Guardians follows activists from Israel, Jordan, and Palestine who unite to save the rapidly disappearing Dead Sea, revealing how ecological crisis intersects with regional conflict and cooperation. Foragers examines the restrictions placed on foraging wild plants in Palestine, highlighting issues of colonial control, cultural heritage, and food sovereignty.
A panel discussion with the Director Ido Glass and Producer Ayalet Glass in person, will explore the themes of environmental sustainability, borders, and resilience in the region. How do these films reflect larger conversations about land, movement, and identity in the Middle East?
Monday, March 31st | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:30-8:15 P.M.
Free Middle Eastern food will be provided! Register at this link
LE RÈGNE ANIMAL (“THE ANIMAL KINGDOM“) (France, 2023)
Film Screening and Exclusive Insights from filmmaker Thomas Cailley
In a world hit by a wave of mutations that are gradually transforming some humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who is affected by this mysterious condition. As some of the creatures disappear into a nearby forest, he embarks with Émile, their 16-year-old son, on a quest that will change their lives forever.
The film received a leading 12 nominations at the 49th César Awards, and won 5 awards: Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Original Music, Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects. It also won the Louis Delluc Prize for Best film and Lumière Awards for Best Director.
Watch the trailer!
Friday, April 4th | John Lewis Student Center, Cypress Theater | 5:30-8:30 P.M.
A reception will follow the screening. Register at this link
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Japan, 2023)
Film Screening and Panel Discussion
We hope you will join us for a screening and panel discussion of the Japanese feature film Evil Does Not Exist (2023). Directed by Academy Award nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), Evil Does Not Exist depicts a Japanese village thrown into turmoil as they grapple with the potential environmental impact of a proposed real estate development project. Exploring issues ranging from the cost of rural development to the cultural divide between urban and rural communities, this film is an important snapshot of critical debates in contemporary Japan.
Watch the trailer!
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with East Asian media studies scholars Jenny Wang Medina (Emory University) and Amanda Weiss (Georgia Tech).
Tuesday, March 25th (re-scheduled to Wednesday April, 23rd) | John Lewis Student Center, Atlantic Theater | 2:00-4:30 P.M.
Free food will be provided! Register at this link
