Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, a teaching fellow at the University of Greenwich, has been awarded an honourable mention in the Best Feature Documentary category at the Big Syn International Film Festival, the world’s largest sustainability film festival, organised by the Big Syn Institute, a part of the United Nations.
The film festival took place on Friday 7th November 2025 in London. The event featured guest speakers from COP (the UN’s annual climate meeting) and the world of film, and an excerpt of the film was shown on Piccadilly Lights to promote the award ceremony.
The documentary, titled Eitai, looks at the impact of social enterprise projects on women’s health in the Teso, a marginalised rural area in the North-East of Uganda. Several social enterprise projects in the area provide economic wellbeing as well as a safe space for the community to share knowledge, combat climate issues through the planting of trees, and sensitise communities through music, drama, and dance.
Eitai, which is an Ateso word for community togetherness, is noteworthy for its explorations of issues of climate change and the resultant poverty, alcoholism, and various forms of gender-based violence (GBV).
The film demonstrates the importance of indigenous knowledge, particularly communitarianism and the need to develop stronger relationships with each other, the land, and non-humans to prevent further damage to the planet.
Eitai captures many unique stories concerning the fight against HIV and GBV which are relayed through the participants’ stories, music, and dance.
The film is being shown on the 11th of November 2025 as part of Green Week. The screening and discussion are from 5-7.30pm in the university’s Stockwell Street library. Free tickets are available here.
