A visual diary of illness, loss, and healing interwoven with the story of a planet in crisis. Nicole grapples with a mysterious illness that reshapes her life and that of her children. Through archival footage, animation, and the poetry of everyday moments, the film explores the connections between personal suffering and the state of the planet, uncovering new sources of hope and resilience.
In The Unfixing, Nicole, an Emmy-winning filmmaker and mother of two, explores the human body as part of the Earth itself. After a surfing accident triggers mysterious symptoms, she can neither work nor care for her children. What begins as personal suffering unfolds into a profound transformation, as Nicole’s own illness, her children’s climate anxiety, and reflections on the state of the planet converge into a single immersive narrative. Standing in front of the camera, Nicole listens to the rhythms of nature, discovering how grief and hope ripple across bodies, generations, and landscapes. Through intimate family archives, inventive filmmaking techniques, and animation, she examines intertwined themes: her illness, her family’s struggles, and the global environmental crisis. This journey ultimately leads to a vision of hope and possibility—by reconnecting with nature, Nicole finds healing not only for herself but for the beloved planet she inhabits.
On her film, Nicole reflects: “The most dominant systems—both in medicine and industry—were never built with respect for the interdependence of life. Doesn’t polluted air and water affect our health? In this film, I learn to surrender, to grieve, and ultimately, to heal, in part through my relationship with nature. Healing the body means restoring our bond with the world. I owe this perspective to the wise women I have met along the way. The Unfixing is a story of motherhood in ever-widening circles—a story of daughters, mothers, and the Earth”.
After the screening there will be a debate “Between Loss and Hope: Mental Health in the Face of the Climate Crisis” with the film director Nicole Betancourt.
Nicole Betancourt
An Emmy Award-winning filmmaker celebrated for her ability to merge the personal and the political in emotionally impactful stories. Her debut documentary, Before You Go (HBO), about her father’s death from AIDS, garnered multiple awards, including an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Documentary and a Golden Spire at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Betancourt has continued to work at the intersection of social issues and personal stories, producing and directing films such as 90 Miles (POV/PBS), Sing the Water Song, and shorts that highlight environmental and social justice issues. She is also the former Executive Director of MediaRights, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to media for social change, where she produced the award-winning Media That Matters Film Festival and the first online outreach toolkit for filmmakers. She is a Sustainability Leaders Network Fellow, a Kellogg Food and Community Fellow, and served on the Emmy awards jury, New York State Council of the Arts panel, and the New York Women in Film & Television board.
Director: Nicole Betancourt
Producer(s): Rose Kowalski
Production: Horizontal Films Media, Nota Bene Productions
Language: English, Spanish
Subtitles: Polish, English
