A celebration of rivers and other water bodies with short and long-form films, talks, walks, workshops and more. Novel partnerships and places, art and documentaries to inspire care, curiosity and action.
The first Cambridge Rivers of Film festival was commissioned to James Murray-White with support from Water Sensitive Cambridge by Cambridge Past, Present & Future as part of the RiverCamCAN (Climate Action Through Nature) project and funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
Since the completion of the River CamCAN project, the project has been held by Water Sensitive Cambridge.
Rivers of Film Festival
Cambridge Rivers of Film festival took place from September to October 2025, and was developed and funded by the River Cam CAN project.
Rivers of Film Shorts
Ten short films made by local and national independent filmmakers were commissioned by the Rivers of Film and premiered at the festival – see below
Rivers of Film & Living Water Exhibition
Two showings of the short films, as part of the Cambridge Nature Festival 2026, in collaboration with the University Library and Pembroke College.
Rivers of Film at the River Summit in Henley
The Rivers of Film Festival concluded the excellent ‘Future of Water’ conference in September 2026 in Henley-on-Thames, which premiered “Beneath the Oars” and showed excerpts of the acclaimed “Dirty Business” docu-drama.
Rivers of Film Shorts
Ten filmmakers took on the challenge of creating a short film on their chosen theme during Summer 2025. They received a small grant. Please contact events@watersencam.co.uk if you are interested in viewing or screening any of these films.
| Title | Filmmaker | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Avona | Charlotte Sawyer | 10m |
| Confluence | Tom Scott & Chris Mizsak | 14m 32s |
| Dart | Emma George | 6m |
| Flow States | Sarah Gibson-Yates | 7m 47s |
| Remember To Remember | Vey Straker | tbd |
| Rise and Fall | James Roberts | 5m 23s |
| Testing The Waters | Nigel Kinnings | 16m 12s |
| The Sink | Alessia Mavakala | 9m 53s |
| Tides | Amira Orr | |
| Ways Of Water | Diana Scarborough | 9m 19s |
The Clare Crossman ‘Waterlight’ Award
Clare Crossman (1954-2021) was a poet and writing tutor who forged a deep connection to the River Mel. ‘Waterlight’ (2019) has inspired considerable creative engagement and activism with local chalk streams, and we wish to take this opportunity to commemorate Clare’s work and create an award in her memory, with gratitude.
A panel of river writers and creatives have been asked to choose one of the micro-commissions that embodies Clare’s approach to life.
The award was given to James Robert’s Rise and Fall.
Rivers of Film Festival 2025 Event Partners
Cambridge Past, Present & Future commissioned this project as part of the The River CamCAN (Climate Action Through Nature) a multi-year project to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the River Cam, and inspire people to take action to help, with support from the Climate Action Fund by the National Lottery Community Fund.
| Dates | 2025-2026 |
| Status | Complete |
| Area of habitat created or improved | n/a |
| Location | Various venues in and around Cambridge |
Partners and Funders
With support from
