The Film4Climate initiative is dedicated to greening the silver screen.
Established as a natural follow-up to our remarkably successful Action4Climate documentary film competition, Film4Climate is a global campaign committed to developing a concrete plan to mitigate the environmental impact of film production and to raising awareness about climate change through cinema.
Our initiative to green the film industry has a dual purpose: to reduce the environmental impact of film production—making a movie, especially a blockbuster, produces massive amounts of greenhouse gas emissions—and to spread climate change messages through cinema. Messages woven into engrossing stories on the big screen have the power to change minds and hearts. Film4Climate's complementary objectives can be summarized thus:
Unify the film industry under one globally recognized standard for sustainable productions
Develop a global commitment from industry signatories who pledge to meet the standard, reduce the environmental impact, and participate in encouraging climate change awareness and action
Already counting on the support of over 160 film industry organizations, the Film4Climate campaign has held workshops with producers and directors at the Palm Springs, Chicago, Cannes, Guadalajara, Venice, and Reykjavik film festivals. It has also organized screenings and discussions of climate-conscious films at many other significant venues, including the World Bank Group Headquarters. https://vimeo.com/312281537
Context
Film4Climate was devised during the Greening the Silver Screen climate change workshop held at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Director's Retreat in January 2014. Organized in partnership with the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands, the 3-hour workshop was led by Lucia Grenna, Connect4Climate's Program Manager, and Marc Forster, the renowned director of hit movies like The Kite Runner and World War Z and a committed climate change activist. The conversation focused on the role of cinema in raising climate awareness, and highlighted the need to explore further ways for the industry to address climate change.
In early 2014, Connect4Climate teamed up with Sony Pictures Television’s multi-platform entertainment network Crackle as well as the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro to launch the Cinema Green Project, a series of five short films airing on April 22nd exclusively on Crackle’s platforms in Brazil. At the Berlinale in February 2015, Connect4Climate announced its intention to launch the Film4Climate initiative.
Film4Climate was officially launched in March 2015 at the Guadalajara International Film Festival. Initial discussion ignited concrete proposals for actions to reduce the environmental impact of film productions and to raise awareness about climate change through films. A committee of Film4Climate representatives drafted and endorsed the first-ever "Film4Climate declaration" to set the tone for the initiative moving forward.
After successful events and discussions at Cannes and other major film festivals around the world, we presented our Film4Climate Charter at the historic United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP21 (convened in December 2015) as an example of how a massive industry could make a serious commitment to tackle climate change.
Why Film?
Cinema plays a fundamental role in calling attention to social issues and bringing about shifts in thinking. Recall Erin Brockovich, Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, or Syriana. Films can also lead people to look inward and change themselves. Think Norma Rae, or Philadelphia.
Equally salient, film production employs millions of peopleand is known for consuming vast amounts of energy and resources all over the world. We think it's high time a global creative alliance came together to tackle the climate crisis both within and without the industry.
Photo Credits: Max Thabiso Edkins / Connect4Climate
Meet the Film4Climate filmmakers
Youth from all corners of the planet submitted their Film4Climate stories in a resounding, unified call for climate action. The young filmmakers' powerful solutions-orientated movies have inspired individuals, organizations and world leaders to take action on climate change and strive for a greener future.
Who are these young filmmakers? What inspired them to compile stories of this pressing issue and share them with the world? To better understand both their background and their mission, Connect4Climate presents a series of interviews with a selection of the Film4Climate Global Video Competition winners.
