"My father, E FSchumacher, who died in 1977 shortly after making the film, was best known for his book Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, which challenged the wisdom of the western economic system, arguing that it was based on an unsustainable exploitation of the earth's resources.

On the Edge of the Forest captures the essence of Schumacher's philosophy.

I hadn't seen On the Edge of the Forest since my early teens when I don't think I really understood it properly.

Then, last year I found this old beta-max tape and thought I'd better quickly get it transferred onto DVD before the old technology died out.

Seeing the film again was hugely emotional and incredibly inspiring. Its messages are all so relevant to the climate and energy issues we face today. It spurred me on to get in touch with the film's producer in Australia and ask if I could make it available in the UK.

In the film E F Schumacher examines the economic and environmental effects of the Australian policy of clear-felling the ancient forests of Western Australia.

He shows that the felling of these forests is not carried out because of the wishes of irresponsible foresters but leads directly from our 'religion of economics'.

He points out that if an activity is labelled ugly, environmentally damaging or short-sighted people do little more than shrug their shoulders and shake their heads.

It is only when it is identified as uneconomic that its right to exist has really been challenged. This, he says, ignores what humans value most and drives us into taking actions that are damaging to us and our environment; actions that will, ultimately, threaten our own existence.

When the film was first released in Australia in 1977 it created a great deal of controversy and debate. A branch of the International Tree Foundation was soon established in Western Australia and campaigning eventually led to the protection of large areas of native forest and initiatives to 're-green' Australia.

Since then over 10 million trees have been planted. However the destruction of forests continues to this day in Indonesia, Brazil and other countries and is a major contributor to climate change.

Also shown at the screening was film footage of the work of the development charity, Practical Action (formerly ITDG).

The charity was established by Schumacher in 1965 to help poor communities improve their lives by gaining access to appropriate technologies such as small-scale renewable energy facilities.

Projects are driven directly by the communities themselves with help from project workers. Where new facilities are established, the community owns and manages them itself. Practical Action now has a turnover of £22m and is widely recognised for the long term effectiveness of its work in helping people out of poverty. "

The film is shown at Aberystywth Arts Centre on 23 April 2009 at 6pm (Ticklets £3.50)