Shorts Programme
The Sea
Descriptive Subtitles
4 films | in collaboration with DocNomads
In The Sea programme, the sea is a space of reflection and encounters. A space in which we can understand ourselves and the personal and physical landscapes we inhabit. The films in The Sea programme explore the ways in which we relate and understand each other with the sea being both a companion and witness to this encounter. The sea witnesses a disintegrating community in Drop by Drop by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves, a conversation between father and daughter in Esperando a Mar by Jorge Peña, a poetic journey across the Portuguese coastline in Sweet and Salty by Carmen Tofeni and a discussion about what remains in Dust is a Whale, it is sunlight by María Casas Castillo. In the short films the intimate depth of an encounter is revealed by the sea, which brings it right above the surface and toward the cinema screen.
Screenings & Bookings
+ Q&A with directors Maria Casas & Jorge Peña
Descriptive Subtitles
BSL INTERPRETER
Saturday 19 September 6.15pm
Filmhouse
On tour
Oban | The Rockfield Centre
Thursday 24 September 6.00pm
Panel with environmental scientist Dr Leslie Mabon + marine scientist Dr Clive Fox
Aberfeldy | The birks Cinema
Friday 25 September 7.00pm
Recorded Q&A with Jorge Peña Martín + María Casas Castillo
Dundee | dundee contemporary arts
Saturday 26 September 6.00pm
Panel with aquaculture genomics researcher Dr Rose Ruiz Daniels + marine scientist & bioacoustician Dr Chloe Malinka
Jorge Peña is a non-fiction film director and screenwriter. He specialized in screenwriting at the San Antonio de los Baños Film School in Cuba. His films have been supported by channels and platforms in Spain such as TVE, TV3, Canal Sur or Amazon Prime, as well as institutions such as the Ministry of Culture, Junta de Andalucía, Instituto del Cine Catalán or Instituto Cervantes. It also participates in festivals of international prestige. It is worth mentioning that at the 25th Malaga Film Festival it won the Silver Biznaga for best documentary feature film.
Maria Casas is a Mexican independent filmmaker and director whose work spans short films and documentaries, including How to See the Night (2022) and Dust is a Whale, is Sunlight (2023). A science enthusiast and admirer of landscapes, she is a Mexican filmmaker based in Belgium, with a background in animation and visual anthropology.
ABOUT THE FILMS
Drop by Drop
9 min
2017
Portugal
Alexandra Ramires, Laura Gonçalves
Original Language Portuguese
The last habitants of a village refuse to let themselves sink into oblivion. In a world where the idea of progress appears to be above all, this home floats.
Trailer
Stills
Waiting to Sea
International Premiere
29 min
2026
Brazil, Spain
Jorge Peña
Original Language Spanish
A father films the waiting for his daughter, transforming landscapes and everyday rituals into a tender meditation on parenthood, memory, and the passage of time.
Trailer
Stills
Sweet and Salty
Scottish Premiere
17 min
2025
Portugal
Carmen Tofeni
Original Language Portuguese
In a coastal village, a fishing community faces a changing sea, where seahorses cling to life amid pollution, fear, and fading hope.
Trailer
Stills
Dust is a Whale, is sunlight
UK Premiere
20 min
2023
Belgium
María Casas Castillo
Original Language English
In the basement of the Science Museum in Brussels lies a skeleton of an ancient whale that is about to be forgotten. Mark spends his days trying to put these bones together like pieces from a puzzle.
Trailer
Stills
Also in the 2026 Programme
The First Women
Free Entry
In collaboration with Pragda and Edinburgh Council.
Thursday 17 September 2.00pm
· Morningside Library
Spanish Film Club
The First Women
Free Entry
In collaboration with Pragda and Edinburgh Council.
Thursday 17 September 2.00pm
· Morningside Library
Spanish Film Club
The First Women
Free Entry
In collaboration with Pragda and Edinburgh Council.
Thursday 17 September 2.00pm
· Morningside Library
