Announcing CFF's First Ever Virtual Screening!
Can't make the festival? Catch "Upstream, Downriver" on WaterBear
Our first ever virtual screening is here!
Can’t make the fest? Can’t get enough? We’re bringing Upstream, Downriver: Uniting for Water Justice (dir. Maggie Burnette Stogner, 2025) directly to you. This urgent documentary explores the unfinished work of the Clean Water Act and the people across the U.S. uniting for water justice.
Streaming now on WaterBear as part of the Climate Film Festival.
💧 Upstream, Downriver
When: Saturday 9/20 - Sunday 9/28
Where: Watch free online at WaterBear
Access to clean water and healthy rivers is often thought of as a third-world issue, but half the waterways in the U.S. are too dangerous for drinking and swimming, over 30% of people on the Navajo Nation do not have running water in their homes, families in Alabama are living next to open sewage lagoons, and old dams in the Pacific Northwest are driving salmon to extinction. Climate extremes are causing both increased flooding and severe water shortages.
Upstream, Downriver takes viewers into the heart of communities that are uniting for water justice to achieve signafant change and find innovative solutions. Powerful stories with frontline community activists are interwoven with historical context about landmark regulations that significantly reduced water pollution in the U.S. but failed to serve disadvantaged communities that are hardest hit by today’s climate crisis.
About WaterBear
WaterBear is a B-Corp certified social action platform that transforms inspiration into action. It serves as the digital home for a global community that cares about the planet and each other. Through a storytelling studio and social action platform, WaterBear combines real stories with empowering tools for everyday impact. By partnering with NGOs, creators, and purpose-driven brands, concern transforms into collective action. In a time marked by misinformation and climate anxiety, WaterBear provides a hopeful, actionable alternative. Be part of a good story.
🙏 Thank You to Our 2025 Festival Sponsors & Supporters
Premiere Sponsors: The Carmack Collective, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council)
Visionary Sponsors: Agog, Nespresso, Universal Pictures,
Champion Sponsors: Compassion in World Farming, Climate Power, Earthrise Studio, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Mercy for Animals, Pique Action, The Puffin Foundation, SNØCAP, Tidal Vision, and Watershed.
The Guardian is the presenting media sponsor. The festival logo and design come from Studio Rodrigo. Legal services are from Romanette Legal. Earth Angel is the sustainability partner. Ecodeo created the festival trailer. The Everset provided furniture. Edge Auto loaned electrical vehicle services. The marquee theater partner is Regal. Compostable supplies are provided by SupplyClub. Awards are hand-crafted by Fernanda Uribe-Horta. Business development services were provided by ImpactECI.
Food and beverage in-kind partners include Bronx Brewery, Bear’s Fruit, Cafe d’Avignon, Just Ice Tea, Open Water, Remedy Organics, Rethink Food, and Stumptown. Screenings and events take place at DGA Theater, Regal Essex Crossing, Essex Market, and SVA Theatre.
This project is made possible in part with funds from Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the funding agencies the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone (UMEZ), and the Howard Gilman Foundation, and administered by LMCC.