About Films for the Forest

Films for the Forest was launched in 2010 with the goal to bring together children and adult filmmakers alike to contribute to rainforest conservation through the arts and foster broader civic engagement.

Since 2012, Films for the Forest has taken place in collaboration with SXSW Film Festival Community Screenings.

Why Film?

In the face of unprecedented ecological crisis, we must find new ways to encourage environmental awareness, engagement, and stewardship globally.

Films for the Forest has the power to inspire change through the medium of film with empathy, creativity and community engagement.

Film is another creative medium we have to elicit an emotional response, stimulate a shift in consciousness, and create global change.

Films submitted in 2020

Countries

Continents

Tuned in

Global Impact

Films Around the World

Films submitted and screened at F3 incorporate diverse forms of storytelling from conventional videos to animations to digital shorts taken using mobile phones/apps and gopro cameras.

The democratizing power of mobile technology enables communities across the globe to lend their voices to instigate positive changes in environmental and social causes. Since its inception in 2010, Films for the Forest has received over 500 films from over 50 countries from all seven continents.

Global Reach and Success

Over the years, Films for the Forest has received film submissions spanning four continents and has been judged by an impressive list of award-winning filmmakers and environmentalists. Richard Linklater is a founding judge for this challenge and has committed to continue this role. Other judges have included: Evan Smith, Philip Cousteau Jr., Elizabeth Avellán and Jay Duplass.

Films for the Forest is now one of the most noted environmental film screenings in Austin, offering participants and the general public a platform to engage, interact and think about their shared responsibility to conserve the planet.