Winter film night: journeys with purpose

Join us for a night of thought-provoking short films that illuminate the diverse stories behind a collection of journeys with purpose.

Meet fellow film buffs and exploration enthusiasts in the Main Hall and Map Room bars. The bar will be open from 6.00pm and screenings will begin at 7.00pm.

Our programme of short films and documentaries feature a diverse range of voices and subject matter, storytelling styles, purposeful journeys and fascinating adventures.

This event will include Q&As with those involved in the production of the films and an interval, followed by a pay bar to continue the conversation into the evening.

Event programme

• 6.00pm – Doors and bar open
• 7.00pm-9.45pm – Film screening and Q&A with filmmakers
  • The Farming Futures Cycle Tour: a cycling-based fieldwork adventure In Spring 2025, Veronica White embarked on the Farming Futures Cycle Tour – a low-carbon, human-powered PhD fieldwork adventure. Over the course of 12 weeks, she cycled 2,000 miles across England, stopping along the way to interview women in farming communities, aiming to diversify visions for the future of farming. This film shows some of the highlights and challenges that Veronica experienced during her expedition.
  • Exploring Forgotten Landscapes follows filmmaker Sam Chevallier as he joins Chris Boyes and the Hankuzi Explorations deep into the heart of the Congo (DRC). Together with a team of local and international scientists, supported by courageous rangers, they embark on an 18-day expedition through the remote and wild Upemba National Park. Their mission is to collect vital ecological data, work that supports the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem services in one of Africa’s most overlooked regions.
    This is a film about courage, commitment, and connection. It highlights the tireless efforts of those on the front lines of conservation, risking their lives to safeguard what remains of our planet’s natural heritage. The world can no longer ignore these forgotten places. We must protect what gives us life, for ourselves and for the children of tomorrow.
  • More Than A Mountain is a short film about community over competition that flips the script on who gets to be seen as strong, bold and brave. Led by Jo Bradshaw, a former no-saying, height-hating comfort lover turned Everest and Seven Summiteer, fifteen women from all walks of life, aged between 29 and 71, embark on an emotional and physically demanding trek to the summit of Yala Peak, a 5,500 meter mountain in Nepal, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first female ascent of Mount Everest by the Japanese mountaineer Junko Tabei. The film presses the point not that women can, but that they are and have always been pushing the limits of adventure. They climb in honour of Junko Tabei and for every woman whose achievements have been hidden in history.
  • Flows for Manatees is an environmental story to celebrate, but also a call for conservation. On the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico a new manatee habitat has been discovered. Local cave instructor Luis Leal and explorer Klaus Thymann spent weeks diving and exploring, documenting a manatee mother and calf. The species is endangered: there are fewer than 200 in the Caribbean, and how few are in Mexico is unknown. From above it looks like a small lake, but the water actually connects to the ocean via an underground passage, so is in fact a coastal lagoon. The whole ecosystem relies on the flow of water between the sea and inland waterways, through rivers, caves, sinkholes (known as cenotes) and even through the porous limestone rock. But while the ocean and the lagoon are two parts of the same thing for these mammals, in Mexican law they are treated differently. The Caribbean Sea has a marine protected area but the inland lagoon does not. It might sound like an absurd administrative error but the fact that they are indeed connected is not reflected in law.
  • DOWNSTREAM is a journey from ice to ocean along three great rivers: the Rhône, the Columbia and the Waitaki. Guided by hydro-ecologist Dr Juliette Becquet, the film meets winemakers, salmon fishers and farmers whose lives rise and fall with glacier-fed water. As the glaciers retreat, each river reveals a different future – for our landscapes, our cultures and our sports. With sweeping mountain scenes and honest conversations on the riverbanks, DOWNSTREAM shows that what happens high in the peaks shapes every glass we pour, every field we farm and every line we ski.
• 9.45pm-10.30pm – Bar

Booking information

• Advance booking for this event is required. In order to book you will need an account on our website. If you already have an account you will be prompted to log in when you click 'book now'. Please create an account if you do not have one yet (you do not need to be a member of the Society to create an account).
• Tickets are £12, and £10 for Society members. 
• We do not issue tickets (electronic or physical) for this event. Instead your name will be on a list at the door. Please use the Society's entrance on Exhibition Road.

If you have any questions or require assistance with your booking, please email events@rgs.org

Accessibility at our events

We want everyone to feel welcome at our events. Key accessibility features of this event include:

• Step-free access to the event
• Accessible toilets
• Assistance dogs are welcome
• Hearing loop

For full details, please visit our accessibility page. If you have any questions or specific access requirements, feel free to get in touch with us on access@rgs.org