Fragmented in the 2025 Eugene Environmental Film Festival
Fragmented, a powerful new dance film weaving together art and science to spotlight the fragility and resilience of coral reefs, has been officially selected for the 2025 Eugene Environmental Film Festival.
Watch the trailer for Fragmented.
The festival, held October 13 through October 19 in Eugene, Oregon, celebrates films that inspire environmental awareness, action, and storytelling from around the world.
Premiering at the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France on June 7, Fragmented brings a unique blend of ballet, poetry, and climate science to the screen.
The short film is part of the ClimArts Shorts series—an initiative that merges the evocative power of the arts with evidence-based climate solutions.
Inspired by a foot injury that left her unable to dance, London-based ballet dancer Ann Louise Wall found striking parallels with coral bleaching: both requiring time and the right conditions to heal, both vulnerable to the relentless pace of external stressors.
“Facing injury as a dancer can be deeply isolating,” Ann once told us. “You feel fragmented, like life is moving forward without you. Coral reefs experience the same kind of fragmentation when extreme temperatures break their essential relationship with algae.”
Ann had always wanted to contribute to climate action but felt limited by not working directly in environmental science or policy. Working with ClimArts helped her recognize the power of her artistic voice, revealing that dance could be a tool for raising awareness and inspiring change.
Directed by Jonathan Stow and produced by ClimArts, Fragmented explores coral reef decline and renewal through interpretive dance, music, and spoken word.
Collaborating closely with leading researchers from Harvard University and the University of Toulouse-Jean Jaurès, the film uses the metaphor of coral to reflect on the human condition—our vulnerability, our resilience, and our interdependence with the natural world.
Featuring choreography and performance by Ann Louise Wall, scientific insight from Golden Lab’s Planetary Health Research Group at Harvard University, and an original score by composer and hornist Isaac Shieh, the film invites viewers to reimagine climate storytelling as both emotionally resonant and intellectually grounded.
“We as humans have always thought and learnt in stories. It’s quite intuitive to use creativity and any form of art for not just translating science… but also making solutions more accessible,” said ClimArts founder, Neelambaree Prasad. “So it’s a tool of communication, and at ClimArts we are trying to create emotionally engaging human narratives.”
ClimArts Shorts are artistic narratives with evidence-based climate solutions. These interdisciplinary collaborations between artists and climate experts explore new ways to inspire understanding, connection, and collective action.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 19, 2025
Press Contact:
Emily Haver, ClimArts
emily@climarts.org