Your CFF Weekend Starts Here ✨
Read this for schedules, venues, food & drink, accessibility info, and more. Get tickets before they're gone!
CFF is almost here! Read on for final festival logistics: last minute tickets, where to go, how to get there, and more.
In this Newsletter:
🎟️ Tickets are selling out - get yours now!
🎬 CFF & Narrative Change Summit Schedule & Important Information
☕️ Food & Beverages
♿ Accessibility at CFF
🙏 Thank you to our sponsors & supporters
🎟️ Reserve your tickets before they sell out!
Make sure to reserve your spot before they’re gone.
Can’t decide what to watch? Here are some of our team’s recommendations:
❄︎ Black Snow (Sat, Sept. 20 at 8:15 PM) spotlights a remote Siberian city whose residents turn to a local homemaker-turned-journalist after discovering that an old Soviet mine has caught fire beneath their neighborhood. Her viral videos spark hope—until she becomes the target of a sweeping government disinformation campaign. Followed by a Q&A with director Alina Simone and producer Kirstine Barfod, moderated by award-winning Mongabay journalist Karla Mendes.
💃 Raising Aniya (Sat, Sept. 20 at 1:00 PM) follows Aniya, a young dance artist in Houston, Texas, as she embarks on a journey to heal her spirit and find her voice after being displaced by a hurricane. Followed by a special Q&A with director John Fiege, producer/protagonist Walter Hull, and protagonist Aniya Wingate, moderated by Whitney McGuire.
🚌 Future Council (Sun, Sept. 21 at 10:00 AM) follows eight children’s epic adventure across Europe, on a biofuel-powered school bus, as they take climate conversations into the boardrooms of some of the world’s largest polluters and most influential companies. Think School of Rock meets An Inconvenient Truth. Introduced by author and reporter Anya Kamenetz.
🐊 River of Grass (Sat, Sept. 20 at 10:30 AM) is a lyrical and deeply personal portrait of the Florida Everglades, blending archival footage, vérité storytelling, and the voices of its inhabitants to capture a region on the brink. Drawing on the legacy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Miccosukee educator Betty Osceola, the film confronts history’s scars and today’s ecological urgencies, asking how we might come together as true caretakers of the future.
🎬 CFF Schedule & Important Information
Below: A cheat-sheet on all things CFF! Find out what’s happening on which days, where to go, what to bring, and more.
Friday, September 19: Opening Night
📍Location: DGA Theater, 110 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
🕚 When: 7:00 PM
🎬 What’s Happening: CFF’s Opening Night screening of the 25th anniversary new 4K remaster of Erin Brockovich.
🚊 How to Get There: The N, Q, R, W, F, B, D, and E trains all bring you within a few blocks of the theater.
💡 Things to Know: Stick around for a conversation with the film’s producer Michael Shamberg and Black Snow director Alina Simone, moderated by Guardian journalist Dharna Noor.
Saturday, September 20 & Sunday, September 21: Film Screenings & Programming
📍 Location (Film Screenings): Regal Essex Crossing, 129 Delancey Street, New York, NY 10002
📍Location (Panels & Programs): Essex Market, 88 Essex Street, New York, NY 10002
🕚 When: Events begin at Regal at 10:00 AM and go all day!
🎬 What’s Happening: The film festival! We’re screening 50 films—including narratives, documentaries, shorts, experimental films—plus over 10 panels, workshops, and other events. Check out our Festival Guide to help you choose what to attend!
🚊 How to Get There: Take the F, M, J, or Z trains or the M14A-SBS or M9 bus.
💡 Things to Know:
Our weekend events take place in two venues in the same building: All film screenings will take place at Regal Essex Crossing, while all panels, workshops, & public programs will take place at the Make/Change Mezzanine at Essex Market.
Events and screenings are happening all day on Saturday and Sunday. See our film schedule and our program schedule and mark your calendar for the events you’ve signed up for.
Tickets are selling fast! Get yours today.
Monday, September 22: Narrative Change Summit
📍Location: SVA Theatre, 333 W 23 St, New York, NY 10011
🕚 When: Opening remarks at 9:45 AM kick off the all-day summit. The final event ends at 6:30 PM.
🎬 What’s Happening: The Narrative Change Summit, a convening of influential storytellers, cultural leaders, and business innovators to explore how creative media can mainstream climate solutions and mobilize real-world action.
🚊 How to Get There: Take the C or E train to 23rd Street.
💡 Things to Know: Join us for just one session or spend the whole day with us!
☕️ Food & Beverages at CFF
Throughout the weekend, we’ll have limited complimentary food and drink available for festival attendees. Huge thanks to our awesome in-kind partners!
🍺 Beer from Bronx Brewery
💧 Canned water from Open Water
🥗 Catering and snacks from Rethink Food
☕️ Coffee from Stumptown Coffee Roasters
🍽️ Compostables from Supply Club
🥐 Pastries from Cafe d’Avignon
🧀 Plant-based cheese from Rebel Cheese
🥛 Plant-based wellness shakes from Remedy Organics
🫧 Probiotic sparkling water from Bear’s Fruit
🍵 Tea from Just Ice Tea
🍱 Vegan sushi from Omakaseed; plant-based catering provided with the support of Compassion in World Farming and Mercy for Animals
For even more food options, don’t miss the bustling food market at Essex Market!
♿ Accessibility at CFF
We are committed to creating a film experience that is great for everyone, which is why we are working hard behind the scenes to make all of our venues accessible. Below are some of the important steps we’ve taken to make the festival accessible:
ADA-Compliant Ramp Access - All venues have ADA-compliant lifts, elevators, and ramps, as well as accessible seating and restrooms. Click here for details about wheelchair access in each venue.
Closed Captioning - Many of the films screening at CFF have closed captioning. For those that do not, closed caption devices available. To inquire about screenings and devices, please contact accessibility@climatefilmfest.com.
Trigger Warnings - All films have been pre-screened by our Accessibility Coordinator, Caroline Parker Boyd. Caroline has pre-screened every film playing at CFF to label them with relevant trigger warnings, which 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 - All attendees, including official CFF photographers, are not permitted to use flash photography. Signage will be posted around venues to remind attendees that personal flash photography is prohibited.
For any further questions regarding accessibility at CFF, please email us at accessibility@climatefilmfest.com.
🙏 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.