Blooming | Sprouts Film Festival 2026
Blooming by Marina Russo Villani & Victor Missud
out of competition | 2024 | France/Benin | 45’
Blooming traces the journey of the water hyacinth, once introduced to Ganvié, Benin, as an ornamental feature for hotels and luxury homes, but now a suffocating presence. Following the life cycle of this invasive species – from beauty to curse to resource – the film unfolds within a waterlogged landscape steeped in local legend and the histories of the slave trade. Lyrical in tone, Blooming meditates on transformation, resilience, and the uneasy coexistence of nature and human intervention.
June 5 | 19:00 | Droog | + aftertalk
For five editions now, the team behind Sprouts has developed a recurring platform for fictional ecocinema and socially critical debut films. We have steadily grown into an interdisciplinary film festival, now present across six venues in three of Amsterdam’s city districts: Studio/K, Kriterion, De Uitkijk, Droog, MidWest, and QRU.
While a five-year anniversary calls for celebration, each day we are reminded of why we felt the need for a festival like Sprouts in the first place. Autocrats, tech bros, and far-right factions continue to wreak havoc on our planet, disrupting ecosystems and undermining international law and human dignity. This is why we cherish the brave filmmakers of our 2026 edition so deeply: they defy systems to share bold, uncompromising visions. We also support the shaping of a new generation of green storytellers by hosting our very first Sprouts Eco Shorts Pitch and Industry Day.
From 1 – 7 June, let us focus on bringing people together and inspiring one another to resist. Whether by visiting our free Eco Expo, joining our community dinners, attending outdoor screenings, supporting our fundraiser for Sudan, or simply watching a film together. For more information on the festival and our full programme, visit https://sproutsfilmfestival.com/ and follow us on Instagram @sproutsfilmfestival.
