Sintrópica
Miguel García Orive
Official Selection
𖤘 Feature: Documentary, Ethnographic, Research
“Full of hope and grounded in nature’s resilient rhythms, this film reveals how communities and ecosystems alike can be nurtured back to health, showing that creating a harmonious relationship with the Earth demands steady, collective effort. Embodying the very spirit of Return, this film is a call to explore, rebuild, restore, and imagine sustainable futures together.”
Sintrópica follows Jaime Otero and his friends on a journey across the Iberian Peninsula, determinedly sharing a regenerative vision of agriculture. Guided by the philosophy of syntropic farming (drawing inspiration from forest ecosystems to produce food while restoring the land) they traverse landscapes from Galicia, to the sea of plastics in Almería, confronting the environmental crises caused by conventional practices.
This alt-road-movie is threaded together by the collection and dispersal of seeds, a tangible act of regeneration that connects them with countless others seeking a new agricultural paradigm. Orive tells us: “Tired of hearing about soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, the deterioration of our diet, and the overexploitation of Earth’s increasingly scarce resources, I decided to take action. In my search for alternative farming models during a trip through Galicia, I met Jaime Otero in the summer of 2022, and with him, syntropic farming. I was immediately fascinated by the radical paradigm shift that this agricultural philosophy puts forward, the powerful way Jaime transmits this vision, and his genuine sensitivity towards the plant world. These ingredients, mixed with an adventure around the Iberian Peninsula, revealed to me a fascinating story to be told that I immediately wanted to be a part of.”
Miguel García Orive is a filmmaker committed to narratives that explore the complexities of nature and human connections. His cinematographic approach is characterised by a direct and poetic documentary style, seeking essence and emotion through detail together with a rich and sensitive storytelling.
Director & producer: Miguel García Orive
Producer: Eleonore van Wonterghem
Key cast: Jaime Otero
Key cast: Sérgio Olaya
Key cast: Diogo Santos
Courtesy of the artist (Konzéntrika Films)