Countdown to the Climate Film Festival!
A closing night keynote from James Honeyborne, venue maps by Nicole Kelner, accessibility at CFF, and more exciting updates!
Hi all,
The inaugural Climate Film Festival is this weekend! In the lead-up, we will be releasing a short newsletter each day with reminders, updates, logistics, and special announcements.
If you haven’t already, you can get tickets for the films, panels, and workshops here. Three screenings are already sold out, and many others just have a few tickets left. Get tickets here.
In today’s edition:
🏆 CFF Closing Night Reception: Celebrating our filmmakers and featuring a keynote from James Honeyborne, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the Executive Producer of Netflix’s upcoming Our Oceans. Hosted by our friends at Seaborne.
📌 Location, Location, Location: Plan your visit to CFF and check out our newly release venue maps by the talented Nicole Kelner.
♿ Accessibility at CFF: We are working hard behind the scenes to make our film festival accessible in each of our venues with our accessibility coordinator Caroline Parker Boyd.
Not sure where to start? Check out the The Great Climate Film Festival Guide for information on film screenings, panels, workshops, partners, and more!
🏆 CFF Closing Night Reception
We’re thrilled to celebrate our filmmakers with ten awards selected by our jury, student steering committee, and sustainability partner Earth Angel.
The awards reception will be held Sunday night after the final screenings at a Chinatown loft location, hosted by Seaborne.
Keynote Speaker: James Honeyborne
We’re honored to announce that our closing night ceremony will feature a keynote from James Honeyborne, Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and the Executive Producer of Blue Planet II, Our Great National Parks, and the upcoming Netflix series Our Oceans.
James will also introduce a short behind-the-scenes sneak peak of Netflix’s Our Oceans at the event.
James is a biologist by degree and a storyteller by heart. An award-winning wildlife filmmaker and ocean advocate, James is best known for leading the creative team that made Blue Planet II. His mission: to create new and impactful viewing experiences for everyone who seeks to enjoy and connect with the natural world.
Whilst based at the world-renowned BBC Natural History Unit, his work included Sir David Attenborough's hit series Africa, EMMY nominated Wild New Zealand and BAFTA-winning Big Blue Live. His final BBC blockbuster, the multi-award-winning Blue Planet II, broke all records as the UK's most-watched wildlife documentary series for over 20 years. His associated social-led campaign fueled the so-called Blue Planet Effect, drawing global attention to ocean health and most notably, the problems of plastic pollution. His work has been recognized by the United Nations, the European Union and HM The Queen, who presented the Blue Planet team with the Chatham House Prize for the ‘sustained impact’ in galvanizing public engagement.
After 25 years of public service broadcasting, in 2018, James set-up his own production company ‘Freeborne Media’, making Films and TV series in creative partnership with Netflix. His first series Our Great National Parks premiered last year and is voiced by Barack Obama, who won a prime-time EMMY for Outstanding Narrator.
Freeborne Media specializes in underwater filmmaking and Our Oceans has been 5 years in the making, employing a team of some 700 crew, worldwide.
The Awards
Award winners will receive a hand-crafted, unique ceramic piece featuring CFF laurels by Brooklyn-based artist Fernanda Uribe-Horta.
Awards will be offered across the following juried categories: documentary feature, documentary short, narrative short, episodic, early career, and experimental. Additional awards include the audience choice award, student choice award, and curator’s award.
We’re pleased to also announce the Sustainable Production Award Presented by Earth Angel and TheGreenShot, celebrating a film that exemplifies an exceptional commitment to sustainable production practices. As Hollywood’s leading sustainable production services agency, Earth Angel has spent over a decade guiding more than 180 productions towards greener impact. Together with TheGreenShot, a pioneering European tech company renowned for its innovative platform that integrates financials, operations, and sustainability, they mark a new era in sustainable filmmaking.
Participating award winners will have the opportunity for an additional screening at Marketplace of the Future on Sept. 28th at Splashlight Studios.
The Awards Reception is invite-only this year. Stay tuned here for the announcement of the winners next week.
📌 Location, Location, Location
Our primary venue is DCTV at 87 Lafayette St. in TriBeCa.
We’ll have additional venues for special events. Here’s the full list:
The Explorers Club: Fri. 9/20, Opening Night
DCTV: Sat. 9/21 and Sun. 9/22, Primary Venue
SVA Theatre: Sun. 9/22, Special Screening of The Wild Robot
Secret Chinatown Loft: Sun. 9/22, Awards Ceremony & Reception
South Street Seaport Museum: Wed. 9/25, Screening of Windshipped
Discover CFF at DCTV
We’re taking over DCTV’s historic 1898 firehouse to create a central hub throughout the weekend, with panels, free food, drinks, and, of course, movies!
☀️ Firehouse Cinema hosts feature documentaries in a beautiful, intimate cinema space. Entrance on White St.
🌙 The Studio is a creative screening room for our shorts programs and select features. Entrance on White St.
🌍 The Solutions Hub is a public lounge with partner tables, coffee from Stumptown, and snacks. Entrance on Lafayette St.
⭐️ The Filmmaker Lounge is a third-floor spire loft, hosting panels, workshops, films, and private events. Entrance from Lafayette St.
♿ CFF Accessibility
The Climate Film Festival values creating a film experience that is great for everyone. We are working hard behind the scenes to make our film festival accessible in each of its venues. Please see the following moves CFF has made to make the festival accessible below:
ADA-Compliant Ramp Access - All venues have ADA-compliant lifts, elevators, and ramps, as well as accessible seating.
Closed Captioning - Many of the films within the festival have closed captioning. However, some do not. For a select number of films, our partner venue DCTV is able to provide four closed caption devices for individuals who need them. To inquire about screenings and devices, please contact info@climatefilmfest.com at least two days in advance.
Trigger Warnings - All films have been pre-screened by our Accessibility Coordinator, Caroline Parker Boyd. She is a bisexual, epileptic filmmaker in her own right and has labeled films with relevant trigger warnings, when appropriate. Warnings are listed online and will be introduced before each screening to ensure that those in the audience can make informed viewing decisions.
No Flash Photography - Photographers in each venue taking part in CFF will not use flash photography. Signage will be posted around venues to remind attendees that personal flash photography is prohibited. Photosensitive people are constantly triggered in public by sirens, strobes, etc., and we are striving to create a safe environment in which everyone can thrive.
For any further questions regarding accessibility at the Climate Film Festival, please email us at info@climatefilmfest.com.