Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital is the largest environmental film festival in the world.[5] The festival is held annually in March in Washington, D.C., presenting more than 100 films to an audience of over 30,000. Often combined with thematic discussions and social events, the films screen at museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters.

Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital

Location	Washington, D.C., United States
Founded	1993 by Flo Stone
Awards	2016 Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy, "How to Let Go of the World" by Josh Fox;[1] 2016 William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award, "The Seer" by Laura Dunn; 2016 Polly Krakora Award for Artistry in Film, "The Birth of Saké" by Erik Shirai;[2] 2016 Eric Moe Sustainability Award, "Bluebird Man" by Matthew Podolsky and Neil Paprocki [3]
No. of films	150 (2016)[4]
Language	International
Website	dceff.org

Mission

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital is the world’s premier showcase of environmentally themed films. Through the annual festival, year-round events, and online resources, they seek to advance public understanding of the environment through the power of film.[6]

History

From the official website of the festival: "Founded by Flo Stone in 1993, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital has become one of the world’s largest and most influential showcases of environmental film and a major collaborative cultural event in Washington, D.C. Each March the Festival presents a diverse selection of high quality environmental films, including many Washington, D.C., U.S. and world premieres. Documentaries, features, animations and shorts are shown, as well as archival, experimental and children’s film at venues throughout the city. Films are screened at partnering museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters and are attended by large audiences. Selected to provide fresh perspectives on global environmental issues, most Festival films are accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, environmental experts and special guests, including national decision makers and thought leaders, and are free to the public. The Festival’s |website serves as a global resource for environmental film throughout the year."[7]

A March 10, 2007 article from The Washington Post stated that in the first year of the festival only 1,200 people attended.[8] In 2011 the festival had grown to 30,000 participants.

The Festival was voted Best Film Festival by the readers of Washington City Paper in 2019[9] and 2020.[10]

Awards

Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy
2016 - "How to Let Go of the World" by Josh Fox
2015 - Racing Extinction by Louie Psihoyos
2014 - DamNation by Travis Rummel and Ben Knight

William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award
2016 - "The Seer" by Laura Dunn
2015 - "TigerTiger" by George Butler

Polly Krakora Award for Artistry in Film
2016 - The Birth of Saké by Erik Shirai
2015 - Monsoon by Sturla Gunnarsson
2014 - "Once Upon A Forest" by Luc Jacquet
2013 - Harmony by Stuart Sender
2012 - The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker
2011 - Oil Rocks: City Above the Sea by Marc Wolfensberger
2010 - The Music Tree by Otavio Juliano

Eric Moe Sustainability Award
2016 - "Bluebird Man" by Matthew Podolsky and Neil Paprocki
2015 - "Silent River" by Jason Jaacks and Steve Fisher
2014 - "Amazing Grace" by Rowan Pybus

Venues

Films are screened at partnering museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters. Some of the venues include:

AFI Silver Theatre American University Atlas Performing Arts Center Avalon Theatre Canadian Embassy Carnegie Institution for Science Corcoran Gallery of Art E Street Cinema Embassy of Australia Embassy of Austria Embassy of France Embassy of Italy Embassy of Japan Embassy of the Republic of Singapore Embassy of Switzerland Freer Gallery of Art George Washington University Georgetown University Goethe Institut Washington Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Inter-American Development Bank Johns Hopkins University SAIS Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library National Academy of Sciences The National Archives National Building Museum National Gallery of Art National Geographic Society National Museum of American History National Museum of the American Indian National Museum of Natural History National Museum of Women in the Arts National Portrait Gallery National Wildlife Visitor Center The Phillips Collection Royal Netherlands Embassy Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

References

1. http://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/the-scene/2016-Environmental-Film-Festival-372414572.html
2. http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/7-must-see-films-2016-environmental-film-fest
3. http://dceff.org/2016-awards/
4. DCEFF Program Archive
5. "The Largest Environmental Film Festival Just Went Virtual". Sierra Club. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2020-04-23.
6. http://dceff.org/about/
7. http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/about/
8. Lerner, Joel M.; “Environmental Film Festival Features Many Visual Treats for Gardeners.” The Washington Post 10 March 2007. F04. [Online; 30 October 2007]
9. Paper, Washington City (2019-05-09). "Best of D.C. 2019". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
10. Paper, Washington City (2020-09-17). "Best of D.C. 2020". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2020-12-21.

External links

• Official EFF Website