FINALIST 2026
A playful factual film highlighting pollution on the River Brent set to Schubert's "Trout Quintet". A homegrown project assembled from footage taken by volunteers on the Brent.
I was out with my dog in the Pitshanger Park in October 2021 when I noticed the Brent had turned a foul-smelling grey. A blocked sewer had overflowed filling the river with human waste and detergent. I was inspired to found Clean up the River Brent (CURB) and with many volunteers we have since removed over 100 tonnes of rubbish, planted 1000s of plants, and campaigned to prevent further pollution of the river. When (producer) Jon Rowe came to me asking if I had any film concepts to highlight the abuse of the river and create a clarion call for change, I knew I had the bones of an idea for a queasy yet playful short film to be made out of the thousands of photos and videos we had taken of the Brent over the years, showing both its beauty and its horror. So with the help of the very talented (director) Lisa Robson we put together what we hope can be both a warning shot about the state of our rivers and a call to arms to demand and embody change in our communities. Anyone can become a River Guardian.
- Ben Morris, Director
Our Brent River & Canal Society was set up in 1973 to campaign for the creation of the Brent River Park. By 1985, with the cooperation of Ealing Council, the aim of having a continuous and integrated park was largely achieved with great success and community support.
Our charity now works to safeguard and improve the River Brent and surrounding meadow, woodland and wetland habitats to ensure this beautiful green and blue space continues to benefit the health of our environment, our wildlife and us.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Please register using the form below.
This helps us to stop voting abuse and also enables us to communicate the finalists and winners to everyone who voted. We will not pass this information on to anyone else.