Understory, A Cinematic Exploration of the Hidden Intelligence of Plants, to Have Its World Premiere at DOC NYC

TORONTO, October 8, 2026 – UNDERSTORY, a visually exquisite new documentary by director-writer Su Rynard (The Messenger, Kardia) and produced by HitPlay Productions (Canada) and Polar Star Films (Spain), will have its World Premiere at DOC NYC in November. This immersive documentary challenges audiences to reconsider what we know about plants, intelligence and our relationship with the natural world,

“My hope is that viewers will leave the cinema with the ability to encounter the plants around them as if for the first time, ultimately learning to see ourselves as a part of nature: equal, connected and interdependent,” said Su Rynard, director of UNDERSTORY, “We are delighted to bring the film to DOC NYC and launch it to such a devoted audience.”

Filmed across Canada, the U.S. and Spain and featuring renowned forest ecologist Suzanne Simard, celebrated botanist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer, and pioneering philosopher and cognitive scientist Paco Calvo, UNDERSTORY explores a profound shift taking place across science, philosophy and Indigenous knowledge: a growing understanding of plants as complex, responsive and deeply interconnected living beings.

Together, their work points toward a paradigm shift. As long-held frameworks for understanding the natural world are increasingly challenged, UNDERSTORY enters an emerging conversation between science and story, humans and plants, and asks whether changing how we perceive nature could ultimately change how we live within it.

UNDERSTORY a film by Su Rynard, is a Canada-Spain co-production executive produced by Nadine Pequeneza, produced by Su Rynard, Nadine Pequeneza, Marieke van den Bersselaar and Carles Brugueras, with Kerriann Cardinal serving as co-producer. Produced by HitPlay Productions and Polar Star Films, the film was made with the participation of the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm Canada, with funding from ICAA, TELUS and ICEC, and produced in association with CaixaForum+, The Redford Center, Knowledge Network, ICI-SRC and 3Cat. The film is distributed in Canada by Game Theory Films, with Java Films handling international distribution.

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