Adam and Dyba Lach’s beautifully presented documentary takes viewers on an emotive and immersive journey. For 72 minutes, you are submerged into the reality of life on the Oder River in Central Europe. Thanks to the unintrusive filming, you get to intimately experience the 1,300km pilgrimage of musician Michał Zygmunt down the river, travelling in a simple and traditional wooden boat.

Zygmunt’s message is clear. He wants to invoke change and provoke action – a call to protect what is left of this beautiful river and the surrounding ecosystems. The devastation seen in the footage is deeply saddening. However, intertwined with this cold reality is another message – one of love and protection. The relationship seen between Zygmunt and his daughter Karina is heartwarming, with her joining him for a few sections along the way. The connection radiates from the footage and is as deep and powerful as his determination to seek hope for a future with balance – for her, for younger generations and, in fact, for the world.

There is a beauty and nourishment felt in witnessing Zygmunt’s time away from everyday life. A brief escape from the chaos of modern life: being out on the river, the simplicity of camping along the banks, all the while connecting back with Nature. This allows him to reflect on rivers, on life and ultimately on the impact that humans have on the planet.

As a viewer, you experience the mesmerising primordial tones of Nature, along with the beautiful and at times haunting sounds of Zygmunt’s own music – an expression of all the emotions he feels on this voyage. This is complemented by the creativeness of the captured symphonies of the river and wildlife that inhabit its banks as he travels.

The experience of his time spent in the non-human world was captured over 40 days of filming. It begins by showing the devastation and degradation of the Oder River after an environmental disaster in 2022, one of the largest in modern European history. This damaged the natural ecosystems, devastating the wildlife and dramatically raising the salinity of the river.

Along this voyage Zygmunt uses the time to reflect, as he symbolically reclaims the wilderness on behalf of the river. He travels to carry a symbolic message of protection to life, compelled by the need to act. This film is a wonderful platform to share a message to all who will listen, on behalf of Nature – a call to action to unite and fight for the Oder River where the government and authorities have failed, but Zygmunt can no longer be indifferent.

Sowing the Seeds of the Wild by Directed by Dyba & Adam Lach. 2024. Jenny saw the film at the Metamorfoza launch at the Belfast Photo Festival, which she attended on behalf of The Resurgence Trust.

Jenny Routley is Deputy Manager of Membership and Operations at The Resurgence Trust, a keen photographer, an experienced paddlesports instructor and an outdoor enthusiast.