The eighth annual Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY), the nation’s largest student-run environmental film festival, has selected 16 films from hundreds of submissions representing more than 18 countries. The festival will be held from April 1 to 9 across the Yale campus.
The festival lineup includes “How to Let Go of the World (and Love all the Things Climate Can’t Change),” a film by Oscar-nominated director Josh Fox (“Gasland”) that examines some of the consequences of climate change — as well as some of those things that it can’t destroy; “I Am Chut Wutty,” an inspirational story of activist Chut Wutty, who was stopped and shot dead at an illegal, military-controlled site in the Cardamom mountains while fighting to defend Cambodia’s forests against corrupt and illegal exploitation; “Overburden,” the story of a fiery, pro-coal right-winger and a tenacious, environmentalist grandmother who join forces to take down the most dangerous coal company in the U.S.; and the groundbreaking Sundance documentary “Racing Extinction,” directed by Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos, which examines biodiversity loss, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a more sustainable future.
“This year, we are showcasing a powerful new wave of environmental films, highlighting themes of collaboration, environmental justice, and collective action,” said EFFY Executive Director Lisa Veliz ’17 M.E.M./M.B.A. “As EFFY blossoms this spring, we hope to inspire more community members than ever before.”
Each year EFFY attracts more than 1,700 audience member over nine consecutive days of film screenings. The festival, which has attracted 200 submissions, showcases incisive, cutting edge films that highlight the environmental and social issues of our time. Expert panels of filmmakers, celebrities, scholars, journalists, activists, and public servants provide our audiences with context, criticism, and greater insights after screenings. EFFY, which each year attracts viewers from across the New Haven community, is also partnering with local organizations and businesses.
For the first time ever, EFFY will host a Youth Filmmakers’ Summit to integrate youth perspectives in the environmental film movement. The event, being held on Saturday, April 2, will give high school students the opportunity to discuss their experiences as filmmakers in a panel discussion. We’ll be hosting high school students from the Cinema School. Students will explore films for youth, by youth, and of youth, and learn about the resources Yale has to offer at the intersection of film and the environment.
All events will be held at venues across Yale University and are free and open to the public. A short film and panel discussion with filmmakers, cast, community members and scholars will accompany each feature film screening. Awards will be given for the best feature (audience choice and grand jury), honorable mention, short film, and student film.
Other feature films include “Nerve,” the David vs. Goliath story of how one small Kentucky town led the fight to safely dismantle the world’s chemical weapons; “Unacceptable Risk,” a short film that follows firefighters on the front lines of climate change; “Planetary,” a provocative and breathtaking cross-continental cinematic journey that explores our cosmic origins and our future as a species; and “Landfill Harmonic,” which follows the Recycled Orchestra, a youth group that plays instruments made from garbage and became ambassadors for their flood-stricken community.
View the full lineup and watch trailers.
The festival is sponsored by the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale School of Management, Mory’s, The Study at Yale, Heirloom Restaurant, the Whitney Humanities Center, and F&ES Student Affairs Committee.
Follow updates about the festival on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit the Web site. Check out EFFY’s newly launched blog, Climate REEL, for interviews, stories, and film reviews.
