2025 Global Media Festival Film Screening: "Life of Ivanna" + Live Q&A

In the Arctic tundra of northwest Siberia, 26-year-old Ivanna, a Nenets mother of five, struggles to maintain her traditional nomadic lifestyle as climate change threatens her reindeer herd. Facing an uncertain future, she makes the difficult decision to leave her home behind, moving to the industrial city of Norilsk to work for Gazprom. But city life brings unexpected challenges, including a disillusioning reunion with the father of her children. Spanning four years, this award-winning documentary captures Ivanna’s resilience, exploring themes of environmental change, gender, and survival.

The screening will be followed by a virtual discussion with director Renato Borrayo Serrano, a Guatemalan filmmaker trained at the prestigious Russian film school VGIK.

Sponsored by: Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts; School of Modern Languages; School of Literature, Media, and Communication; School of History and Sociology; Atlanta Global Studies Center; Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems; Center for Sustainable Communities Research & Education (SCoRE); Charles A. Smithgall Institute Chair Fund; and Center for International Business Education and Research.

Global Media Festival

The Global Media Festival is Georgia Tech’s annual film and discussion series focusing on sustainability and the UN SDGs across languages and cultures.

The GMF 2025 is part of Ivan Allen College’s Year of Liberal Arts, a year-long exploration of the intersection of humanities and STEM, transforming the future of education and research. This year’s festival is a collaboration among faculty from the School of Modern Languages, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, and School of History and Sociology.

The 2025 lineup features 10 curated events showcasing films from Canada, China, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Middle East, Russia, and the United States. Through exclusive discussions with directors, screenwriters, and experts, we will explore global issues including food production, eco-tourism, land use, climate change, gender inequality, autism, and war & peace.

All screenings are free and open to the public! Events take place in the Cypress and Walter G. Ehmer (formerly Atlantic) Theaters at Georgia Tech’s John Lewis Student Center. In addition to promoting sustainability, the festival celebrates global food culture—free international cuisine will be provided at select events.