An Eskimo whose home town has been hit by global warming will make his first trip overseas to be the guest of honour at a documentary film festival in Oxford.

Enoch Adams is one of 400 Alaskan Inupiats from the island of Kivalina, who have started legal action against 24 electricity and coal companies, accusing them of contributing to the global warming which is melting their home.

Kivalina, in the Northwest Arctic Borough, is the subject of one of the 70 award-winning documentary films which will be screened at Oxdox, the seventh Oxford International Documentary Film Festival, at the Ultimate Picture Palace in Jeune Street, East Oxford from April 21- 28.

Subjects as diverse as eating habits, the global financial crisis and extreme sports will also be covered in winning documentaries from the Cannes, Berlin, Sundance, Venice, New York and Amsterdam film festivals.

Mr Adams, the tribal administrator for Kivalina’s residents, was invited to make his first trip abroad to speak by organiser Marie Wright.

Ms Wright, from Wytham Street, South Oxford, said: “The whole point of Oxdox is to give people a chance to see films and documentaries they wouldn’t normally have the chance to.

“This year, for the first time, we have created a special place for a section called Great Debate, which will address an important issue of global significance.

“It will be on the environment, but from a very personal perspective. Enoch’s town, along with its school, post office, health clinic, grocery store, laundry, two churches and a bingo hall are sinking into the Chukchi Sea.”

Oxdox also gives students from Oxford Brookes University a chance to get involved, as part of their degree courses.

Students on the film degree course negotiated with the Ultimate Picture Palace to stage the festival there.

And arts students have designed a mural to put up in the cinema during the week’s showings.

Rosie Beharrel, a fourth year film student at Brookes, said: “Before, the festival was held in different venues around the city, but we thought it would be better to keep it simple and hold it in just one this year.

“We chose the Ultimate Picture Palace because it’s an amazing venue – it’s one of the oldest cinemas in Europe – and because it is in a great location.”

To see a full timetable of the 70 films showing at Oxdox, go to oxdox.com Tickets can be purchased from the website or from the box office on 01865 245 288.

awilliams@oxfordmail.co.uk