Now accepting submissions for 2024!
Forests are more than just trees. They form a complex and marvelous network of life and death, maintaining an intricate balance for millennia. They are the greatest source of food and shelter, a home of beauty, power, and mystery—the cradle of humanity.
In 2025, we challenge filmmakers worldwide to take us deep into their stories and help everyone experience forests beyond the trees.
As complex systems, forests are in constant transformation. They learn and adapt, self-regulate, and sustain a vast diversity of interactions among animals, plants, fungi, microorganisms, and humans. They exist in continuous synergy with the ecosystems around them.
❤
Films are expected to fall under the theme for the current year (2023): “Living Forests. Thriving Future.”
❤
All films must be between 1 to 20 minutes in length.
❤
All films must be submitted in English or with English subtitles if in a different language.
❤
Filmmakers agree to have their films screened multiple times within 365 days after the event date. The screenings may take place in front of a live audience within the United States, in international events, and online screenings as curated Films for the Forest content and ensure their licensing will allow such screenings.
❤
Filmmakers agree to allow Films for the Forest to use short clips from their films for promotional, informational, and educational use related to the competition.
❤
To qualify for the Indigenous (IPLC) Category, films must have been created or directed by members of an indigenous community.
❤
Any submissions from those under 18 years of age require adult consent and they must sign a consent form
❤
All submissions confirm they follow the terms and conditions set by FilmFreeway.
❤
If you have submitted your project in the previous year, please do not resubmit the same project to the current Films for the Forest edition.
❤
A film can fall into more than one category. It is up to the filmmaker to choose under which category he/she wishes the film to be judged.
Note: Films for the Forest reserve the right to change the date of the event under special circumstances. All filmmakers will be informed about any changes through email and our online platforms. Films for the Forest also reserve the right to update the current terms and conditions.
Categories of Film
This year, at Films for the Forest, we look forward to sharing stories that reveal how forests are an inexhaustible source of ancestral wisdom, exuberance, and harmony.
