The Climate Film Festival, in partnership with the Guardian US, has announced 59 film finalists. The inaugural festival takes place Friday, September 20 - Sunday, September 22. The opening night premiere will be held at The Explorers Club, 46 E. 70th St., followed by a weekend of screenings and panel discussions at Firehouse: DCTV's Cinema for Documentary Film, 87 Lafayette St. The festival coincides with the opening weekend of Climate Week NYC.
The 2024 Climate Film Festival Slate:
Opening Night Feature - Searching for Amani, Dir. Nicole Gormley and Debra Aroko
Closing Night Feature - Hollow Tree, Dir. Kira Akerman
Feature-Length Films:
Canary, Dir. Danny O'Malley and Alex Rivest
Common Ground, Dir. Josh Tickell and Rebecca Tickell
Earth II, Dir. Anti-Banality Union
Emergent City, Dir. Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg
Farming While Black, Dir. Mark Decena
The Here Now Project, Dir. Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, U.S. Premiere
Hollow Tree, Dir. Kira Akerman
One With the Whale, Dir. Pete Chelkowski and Jim Wickens
Searching for Amani, Dir. Nicole Gormley and Debra Aroko
Valve Turners, Dir. Steve Bonds-Liptay, World Premiere
The Weight of Water: The Human Cost of Climate Crisis, Dir. Neelima Vallangi and Deej Phillips, East Coast Premiere
Short Films and Episodics:
á—á‚á Ꭿ Ꭴáªá¯ (Meet Me at the Creek), Dir. Loren Waters, New York City Premiere
Abnormal Prime Time, Dir. Kirin Sinn, U.S. Premiere
Adaption: Ice Stupas of Ladakh, Dir. Justin DeShields, New York City Premiere
Beautiful Poison, Dir. Dan Ashby
Climate Artists - sTo Len, E.P. Erin McIntyre, World Premiere
Cobell Energy, Dir. Ari Cagan
Data Ghosts, Dir. Erica Shires, World Premiere
Ecocide, Dir. Alice Hjorth, North American Premiere
Electrifying Eugene, Dir. Lauren Iverson, East Coast Premiere
Food From the Air, Dir. Sue Williams, World Premiere
Footprints on Katmai, Dir. Max Romey, New York City Premiere
For You, Dir. Luca Paulli, East Coast Premiere
Freetown: Cooling a City, Dir. Surabhi Tandon, World Premiere
From Surma, Dir. Manoj Pramanik and Subrata Sarker, U.S. Premiere
Growing Gigas: Giant Clam Farming in Kosrae, Micronesia, Dir. Micah Josiah Seidel, World Premiere
Higher Grounds, Dir. Joe Kramer
Hot & Toxic, Dir. Edmond Hawkins
I Am More Dangerous Dead, Dir. Majiye Uchibeke, New York City Premiere
It Might as Well Be Spring, Dir. Benjamin Chung-ying Eckersley
The Last of the Nightingales, Dir. Masha Karpoukhina
Lunatic, Dir. Robin Noorda, New York City Premiere
Mountain Man, Dir. Arun Bhattarai
Optimist's Guide to the Planet, ep. 2, Dir. Mark Stevenson, World Premiere
Our Ark, Dir. Deniz Tortum and Sister Sylvester
Our Children's River, Dir. Dominic Gill
Out of Plastic, Dir. Maxfield Biggs
Panacea, Dir. Sarah Høilund, U.S. Premiere
Planetwalker, Dir. Dominic Gill and Nadia Gill, New York City Premiere
Possum, Dir. Daisy Rosato, New York City Premiere
The Quest to Save Parasites, Dir. Emily Driscoll
Rise Age, Dir. Tatjana Theuer, North American Premiere
School of Fish, Dir. Colin Arisman and Oliver Sutro
The Shelmeca Serpent, Dir. Laura Bermúdez
Signs, Dir. Ken Rinaldo, New York City Premiere
The Silence After The Storm, Dir. Alina Rizwan, New York City Premiere
Since The Spill, Dir. Declan Lighthouse, U.S. Premiere
The Sixth Borough, Dir. Astrid Malter
Terra Mater - Motherland, Dir. Kantarama Gahigiri
Thatch to the Future!, Dir. Nicolas Neuhold, New York City Premiere
There Was a Cedar Forest, Dir. Arthur Cech, New York City Premiere
Tuvalu: Losing Paradise, Dir. Tilly Cowan, North American Premiere
Underwater Projects, Dir. dream hampton and Liz Havstad, New York City Premiere
Vision of Paradise, Dir. Leonardo Pirondi
When The Wind Rises, Dir. Hung Chen, U.S. Premiere
Wild Hope: Coral Comeback, An HHMI Tangled Bank Studios and Red Rock Films Production
The Climate Film Festival is the first event of its kind, showcasing film and media that break the boundaries of what climate cinema can be. Out of over 300 submissions, the 59 selected finalists represent productions from 24 different countries. The festival features new and recent titles from respected international filmmakers and early-career young professionals.
The Festival’s opening night film is Nicole Gormley and Debra Aroko’s Searching for Amani, which was recently awarded The Albert Maysles Award (Best New Documentary Director) following its world premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival. The closing night film is Kira Akerman’s Hollow Tree (Jury Award Winner, Audience Award Winner, 2022 New Orleans Film Festival).
“The Climate Film Festival is a place for filmmakers and audiences to engage with films that defy conventional expectations and inspire new ways of thinking about the world,” said Turnbull. “By organizing a festival during the opening weekend of Climate Week NYC and the UN General Assembly, we’re creating a unique platform for art and storytelling to ignite new conversations among policymakers, changemakers, artists, and New Yorkers from all walks of life.”
The features program includes the world premiere of Steve Bonds-Liptay’s riveting and incisive documentary Valve Turners, which follows the story of five activists who turn off oil pipelines near the US-Canadian border and face trial, defending their actions as necessary in response to the climate emergency. Of special note is the U.S. premiere of Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel’s The Here Now Project, a gripping and unflinching documentary that weaves together in-the-moment, self-shot footage from 2021—no narration, no talking heads—to create an unprecedented visual diary of the impact climate change is already having on ordinary people around the world. The East Coast premiere of Neelima Vallangi and Deej Phillips’s moving, Nepal-based The Weight of Water: The Human Cost of Climate Crisis is also a hallmark of the program, as is the world premiere of an episodic entry in Mark Stevenson’s solutions-driven Optimist's Guide to the Planet. The festival is also thrilled to screen Emergent City and Farming While Black, two captivating films that highlight the critical work of climate leaders advocating for just and equitable solutions within New York.
The shorts program features a wide range of documentary, narrative, and experimental themes, including environmental justice, climate comedy, eco-horror, climate change and the arts, nature-based solutions, and anti-fossil fuel campaigns. This program includes five world premieres, three North American premieres, four U.S. premieres, two East Coast premieres, and 11 New York City premieres.
Of particular interest is the world premiere of the second season of Climate Artists, which features the New York City-based artist sTo Len and his genre fluid, waste- and water-based art; and the New York City premiere of dream hampton and Liz Havstad’s Underwater Projects, a lively and informative blend of animation and live-action about climate resilience featuring Wanda Sykes.
The films will compete in these juried categories: Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Documentary Feature, Episodic, Early-Career Filmmaker, Experimental, Audience Choice, and Student Choice from the festival’s student steering committee (18-24 years old). Additionally, films will be eligible for a unique Sustainable Production award from Earth Angel by TheGreenShot, rewarding sustainable practices on set and throughout the production process.
The Guardian US joins the festival as the exclusive presenting media partner. Additional sponsors include SNØCAP, The Carmack Collective Fund, a fund of Tides Foundation, CEEZER, Rewiring America, Earth Angel, and more to be announced.
“The Climate Film Festival harnesses the transformative power of motion pictures, showcasing new voices, repertory finds, and energizing, human stories. And the Guardian US stands at the forefront of climate crisis reporting. Together, we are two mission-aligned media organizations dedicated to driving positive change,” said Joyce Parente, VP marketing, the Guardian US.
Climate Week NYC, hosted by Climate Group, a global non-profit, is the largest annual climate event of its kind and brings together leaders from business and government alongside community and grassroots organizations.
"Culture plays a pivotal role in driving the climate conversation forward, and we are thrilled to have the Climate Film Festival as a part of Climate Week NYC this year. Film has become such a growing part of the week it allows an even more diverse range of audiences to deepen their understanding of climate change and how they can act to make a difference. As we convene leaders and communities from various sectors during Climate Week NYC, integrating cultural initiatives like the Climate Film Festival helps broaden the impact and reach of our efforts, making climate action a more inclusive and engaging endeavor,” says Adam Lake, head of engagement, Climate Group North America.