Expressing The Earth
Along rugged coastlines, through ancient forests, and into the geological bedrock of Scotland’s wild places, Expressing the Earth embarks on a cinematic journey into Geopoetics — the philosophy developed by the late Scottish poet-thinker Kenneth White, which seeks a deeper connection between the mind, language, and the living world.
This powerful debut feature by Glenda Rome is a meditation on perception and belonging — guided by White’s poetry and thought, yet grounded in the land itself. Through immersive cinematography and the voices of artists, geologists, and thinkers influenced by his work, the film traces the meeting point of landscape mindscape, revealing a space where geology, art, and inner reflection converge.
A poetic and thought-provoking journey through Scotland’s wild places, Expressing the Earth invites us to look again at our relationship with the planet — and to rediscover the quiet dialogue between human perception and the Earth itself.
-
Glenda Frances RomeDirectorReturn To The Closet, The Shamens Oil, Who owes Who
-
Norman BisselProducerGrounding a World, Slate Sea and Sky, Barnhill the life of George Orwell.
-
Project Type:Documentary
-
Runtime:1 hour 18 minutes
-
Completion Date:July 11, 2025
-
Production Budget:27,000 GBP
-
Country of Origin:United Kingdom
-
Country of Filming:United Kingdom
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:Digital, 4K, Sony A7S
-
Aspect Ratio:16:9
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
-
Sea Of Change film festivalTiree
United Kingdom
September 20, 2025
Official Selection -
Stratford Apon Avon film festivalStratford Apon Avon
United Kingdom
Winner best director and nominee best documentary -
Docuworld Film FestivalLondon
United Kingdom
October 4, 2025
Official Selection -
New Renaissance Film FestialLondon
United Kingdom
September 25, 2025
Official Selection/nominee best feature docuementary
Glenda Rome is a Scottish filmmaker whose cinematic work bridges art, environmental and human connection. For over two decades she has worked internationally on documentaries and community projects — from collaborating with Indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian rainforest and Iñupiat people in Alaska, to helping young and underrepresented voices tell their own stories through film.
Now based near Edinburgh, Glenda’s work has come full circle with her debut feature, Expressing the Earth — a poetic exploration of Scotland’s landscapes and the philosophy of geopoetics. Drawing on her years of experience amplifying the voices of others, she turns her lens inward, towards the land that shaped her, creating a deeply reflective film about belonging, perception, and the living relationship between people and place.
The first time I encountered the work of Scottish poet and thinker Kenneth White, I felt as though someone had found words for what I had always sensed in wild places — that profound stillness where the mind and the land seem to speak the same language.
My introduction to White came through the Scottish Centre for Geopoetics, who were hoping to make a short film. From the moment I read his words, I knew this was the story I had always wanted to tell — one that gives voice to the quiet dialogue between people and the Earth.
When Kenneth passed away in 2023, halfway through filming, the project took on new meaning. What began as a short film, evolved into a full-length documentary — a film that seeks not only to honour his extraordinary legacy, but to continue the conversation he began.
Expressing the Earth is, for me, an act of listening — to landscape, to poetry, to the spaces in between. It’s about finding new ways of seeing and expressing our connection to the living world, at a time when that connection feels more fragile than ever. I hope the film invites reflection, and perhaps a quiet remembering — that to truly express the Earth, we must first learn to listen to it.
