World Future Energy Summit 2026 To Screen Ocean With David Attenborough And Q&A

IMI will host daily screenings of Ocean with David Attenborough during the World Future Energy Summit 2026 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 13–15 January. The screenings form part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week and include a live question-and-answer session with Director Keith Scholey on the opening day. The initiative links global media, climate awareness, and clean energy dialogue for international business and policy audiences.

Ocean with David Attenborough is a 95-minute feature documentary examining how humanity depends on the ocean and affects it. Silverback Films produced the film for All3Media, which sits within RedBird IMI under IMI Ventures. The documentary highlights the ocean’s role in stabilising the planet while outlining severe pressures and realistic recovery options. It won Best Science/Nature Documentary and Best Cinematography at the 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

The film will be shown once each day at the Greenpeace Cinema in Hall 2 at ADNEC. Access is open to registered Summit delegates, including policymakers, corporate executives, investors, media, students, and innovators. The cinema is designed as an enclosed viewing space on the exhibition floor, where attendees watch curated ESG and energy content through personal headphones, creating a quiet area within the wider trade and conference environment.

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The World Future Energy Summit 2026, hosted by Masdar, is the 18th event in the annual series. Organisers plan close to 400 expert speakers across seven sector-led conference tracks, supported by multiple co-located events. This year’s edition expects higher numbers of visitors, exhibitors, and government delegations, with organisations such as IRENA and the EU Hydrogen Council running their own summits inside the show.

The 2026 programme introduces new thematic zones that highlight emerging technologies and commercial prospects. A new area named FUSE AI will function as an exploration zone and host a two-day conference on artificial intelligence in energy, smart cities, and climate resilience. The updated startup platform, The Greenhouse, will bring together more than 50 startups across clean energy, mobility, water, and climate-tech, linking founders directly with investors and corporate partners.

World Future Energy Summit impact of Ocean with David Attenborough

Keith Scholey, Director at Silverback Films, will join delegates for a live post-screening discussion on 13 January. Scholey is known for major nature series including Our Planet, Our Planet II, A Perfect Planet, The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet, and David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. The session will share production insights and the documentary’s aims. Speaking before the event, Scholey said: "I am delighted to be coming to the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi to show our ocean conservation film Ocean with David Attenborough to share it with a nation which is so dedicated to marine protection.'

The documentary was released in May and premiered in London in the presence of His Majesty King Charles III and HRH William, Prince of Wales. Through extensive cinematography of coral reefs, kelp forests, and open ocean environments, the film shows how a stable climate depends on a healthy ocean. It also addresses urgent risks, including destructive fishing practices and mass coral bleaching in vulnerable regions.

Sophia Sheikh, Content and Marketing Director, World Future Energy Summit, said: "Our event is about translating ambition into action, and that requires engaging people in diverse ways, and this partnership reflects our commitment to creating spaces where powerful stories sit alongside policy debate, technology, and investment. This collaboration with IMI shows how visual storytelling can deepen engagement and bring the urgency of sustainability challenges to life for our global audience."

Ali Yousif Al Hammadi, Chief Operating Officer at IMI, said: "By bringing Ocean with David Attenborough to this setting, IMI is reaffirming its commitment to purpose-driven storytelling that advances global sustainability conversation at moments of international climate focus."

The first Greenpeace Cinema at the World Future Energy Summit marks a shift toward deeper public engagement alongside policy and technology sessions. The space will also host panel discussions on the 2026 environmental media landscape and the links between Islamic finance and renewable energy. Delegates must register for the Summit to enter the Greenpeace Cinema and attend screenings of Ocean with David Attenborough.

With inputs from WAM