Join CFF for three screenings this week!
Indigenous protectors in the Amazon, a lyrical meditation on Appalachian coal country, and a stirring look at heat and environmental justice
Looking for something to do this Earth Week? Join us at the movies!
On Sunday, swing by MYCO at BKLN Commons for 🏞️ Our Children’s River, a short film following the indigenous guards protecting the Ecuadorian Amazon. Tickets here, sliding scale.
Join us at Asia Society on Wednesday for 🌄 KING COAL. A lyrical tapestry of a place and people, KING COAL meditates on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created. Tickets here, $15, waiver available (email team@climatefilmfest.com).
Head to Harlem on Friday for 🔥 Cooked: Survival by Zip Code for a deep dive into extreme heat and environmental justice with panelists from WE ACT, NYC Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and South Bronx Unite. Tickets here, free!
Ticket waivers available for all screenings—email us at team@climatefilmfest.com for more information.
Submit your film to our September Festival on FilmFreeway!
Our regular deadline closes May 3rd, with late submissions through June 3rd.
🌅 The Spotlight
The Spotlight series takes a fresh look at works of climate cinema
By Aashika Balaji
As part of our Earth Week programming, CFF is excited to collaborate with WE ACT for Environmental Justice to screen Cooked: Survival by Zip Code (2020, dir. Judith Helfand) on April 26th at the Maysles Documentary Center. Cooked is a documentary about one of the deadliest heatwaves in U.S. history, which took place in Chicago during the summer of 1995. Over the span of just one week, 739 people died from the effects of extreme heat. But what’s even more striking about this figure is that the majority of the people who lost their lives were poor, elderly, and African American.
Cooked frames heatwaves as what they increasingly are: natural disasters that are exacerbated by climate change. With 2023 being the hottest year on record, the frequency and intensity of natural disasters has increased, and we’ve seen the same pattern reflected with heatwaves. In major U.S. urban areas, they’re happening more often, for longer stretches, and at a much more severe level. As revealed in the documentary, heatwaves kill more Americans than any other natural disaster, and communities of color are the most impacted by far.
Cooked asks an important question: when heatwaves strike, who’s actually guaranteed safety in U.S. cities, and who isn't? As natural disaster preparedness becomes more relevant, we have to consider the issue through the lens of privilege and equity. Many communities of color in urban areas don’t have access to the tools that are necessary to defend themselves from extreme heat, whether that be reliable AC, backup generators, or even the ability to keep their windows open due to safety concerns.
Last year, NYC was ranked as the most intense heat island in the country, and so implementing state-wide extreme heat mitigation measures is critical. Our screening collaborator WE ACT is working with South Bronx Unite, Earthjustice, Groundwork Hudson Valley, New York Disaster Interfaith Services, NRDC, and HeartShare Human Service through the NYS Extreme Heat Coalition, formed to protect heat-vulnerable urban communities throughout New York State. You can learn more about the Extreme Heat Coalition’s incredible work and how you can take action or get access to resources to address extreme heat in New York State.
About WE ACT
WE ACT for Environmental Justice is a community-based organization headquartered in Harlem with a Federal Policy Office in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to build healthy communities by ensuring that people of color and low-income participate meaningfully in the creation of equitable environmental policies and practices. A recognized leader in the environmental justice movement, WE ACT has been organizing and advocating at the city, state, and federal levels for the environmental health and protection of Northern Manhattan communities since its founding in 1988. You can learn more at weact.org and follow them on Twitter/X and Instagram at @weact4ej.
Aashika Balaji is CFF’s volunteer Community Engagement lead and manages the relationships with community groups around New York City, which is a critical part of CFF’s environmental justice platform. She’s been working in the climate space for 3 years as a Senior Program Associate at The Clean Fight, a nonprofit climate tech accelerator based in New York City.
Opportunities & Events
🥳 Climate Museum’s Earth Day Celebration (Apr. 21)
Join us this Sunday, April 21, during the final weekend of the exhibition, for an Earth Day Celebration of creativity and community. We’re presenting a full day of activities for all ages, and you can also drop in anytime to see the show. Snacks and refreshments will be served, and as always, the Museum’s show and programming are free and open to everyone.
💗 EARTH LOVE FEST Block Party @ House of Yes (Apr. 21)
EARTH LOVE FEST brings together creators, artists, performers, speakers, climate experts, ocean conservationists, sustainable designers, and more to share knowledge, open hearts and inspire action to save our environment. Green your life. Move to the grooves for sustainability. Get inspired & fall in love with our planet all over again.
🎬 Where Nature Meets City: Three Short Films and Discussions (Apr. 22)
Celebrate Earth Day by joining The New School’s Urban Systems Lab in-person for an eye-opening event about the crucial role of nature in crafting cities that overcome climate change. This evening will feature three short films, after which members of the Urban Systems Lab will share insights on how integrating nature into cities can help make them more resilient.
💬 Climate Words Earth Day Panel Discussion (Apr. 22)
This Earth Day, we will host a panel of authors and activists in a discussion about climate communication, the words that matter most, and informed optimism. There will be healthy, delicious food provided by Le Botaniste and a book swap. Join Anne Therese Gennari, educator, and author of The Climate Optimist Handbook; Alexandra Climent, grassroots environmentalist, explorer, artist, and founder of Endangered Rainforest Rescue; and Ayisha Siddiqa, environmental and human rights defender, and Climate Advisor to the UN General Secretary, in conversation with Rebecca Gerny; Authors on Climate Words host and Climate Books coordinator.
🎭 Braving a New World: Audio Theater and the Climate Crisis (Apr. 23)
Every artform can open us up to our own ability to take meaningful action on the climate crisis. The New School and the Climate Museum are delighted to present a program examining forms of audio theater dedicated to this end. This event will share work from artists focused on climate justice who are redefining ‘sound art’ forms.
🎨 Can we make immersive art more climate-friendly? (Apr. 23, Virtual)
As part of their R&D program, IDFA DocLab and MIT have been following the team behind CEPIR – a research initiative for a more sustainable immersive sector – as they’ve developed insight and tools for a greener industry. This talk invites Amaury La Burthe, one of the project creators, to talk about the recently released research results on the climate impact of the XR, and to launch best practices and tools including the first carbon calculator dedicated to XR studios.
📽️ Bloomberg Green Docs Open Call (Due Apr. 26)
The Bloomberg Green Docs competition is open to all eligible filmmakers who would like to compete to win a $25,000 grand prize for a short climate documentary. We want to explore our climate future with documentaries that reveal the world we are making today. Ecosystems are being restored and tomorrow’s zero-carbon communities are being formed. At the same time, extremes in our habitats warn of cascading climate consequences.
🌊 Art at the Edge Climate Exhibition RFP (Due Apr. 26)
The Waterfront Alliance seeks original proposals from individual artists, collaborative artist teams, arts and culture-related businesses, graduate-level art and design students, and other for-profit or nonprofit organizations or entities that will provide a public art project (sculpture, installation, performance, or other artistic medium) that will activate spaces through a climate, water, or environmental justice lens. The project will feature three to five artists and award each up to $7,500.
🎭 Creative Climate Awards Film Screening (Apr. 27)
Join the Human Impacts Institute and immerse yourself in a collection of thought-provoking films that highlight the urgent need for climate action while celebrating the resilience and hope of communities worldwide. From the lush landscapes of Brazil to the nomadic traditions of Kazakhstan, these films offer powerful insights into the human impact on the environment and the collective efforts to create a sustainable future. Also check out their other events throughout the week!
Upcoming Opportunities
🔬Science New Wave Fund (Due May 1)
🎨 Arts & Climate Incubator (Due May 5)
🌊 6th Annual Youth Environmental Justice Forum/AquaVision Summit, with John Jay College (May 8)
🎞️ Redford Center Grants (Due May 10)
🐺 2024 Jackson Wild Media Awards (Due May 15)
🌐 Jackson Wild’s My World Film Grant (Due May 29)
🚫 Independence from Plastic: A ‘Micro’ Plastic-Free Film Contest (Due June 7)
✍️ Grist’s Imagine 2200: Write the Future (Due June 24)
🪨❄️ Coal + Ice @ Asia Society (Ongoing)