Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival ()

Festival start: 11 February 2023      Festival end: 14 February 2023

Cinema Verde is a non-profit organization based in Gainesville, Florida, with the mission to provide environmental education from independent sources to international audiences through film, arts and community events.

Our primary focus is to present artistic and creative environmental films as a means to seek change on human-made challenges and disasters such as pollution, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, global warming, and environmental contamination.

The selection process of the Cinema Verde festival films is based on the authentic storytelling of independent filmmakers who either offer an artistic way of spreading awareness for nature and society or exploring and offering concrete solutions to one of the many environmental challenges we’re facing. The film curation is spearheaded by Trish Riley, long-time environmental journalist and author, and founding director of Cinema Verde.

We will hold our fourteenth annual festival February, 2023, in Florida. The annual film festival will be complemented by quarterly mini-festivals marketing the release of new films to our streaming platform, plus satellite screening events hosted all over the globe. Filmmakers are invited to participate and speak at our physical events, as well as in exclusive virtual interviews and roundtable talks on our streaming platform.

Cinema Verde as a new streaming platform provides us with continuous access to an environmental film+art database that speaks to our consciousness, and has been collected over 13 years of film festivals of Cinema Verde.

Awarded films will be added to the environmental film database for a minimum of 1 year, available to stream on cinemaverde.org for members on a subscription fee, in which filmmakers participate in a payout-per-stream model.

Awards are given out to winning films in several categories. At this time Cinema Verde awards are recognition only and do not include monetary payments. However, participants in our online festival are paid annually based on viewership.

Award examples include:

- Full-length Feature Film
- Documentary
- Florida High School Student PSA Competition
- International College Student Short Film Competition
- Florida Local Film Competition
- National High School Short Film Competition

Our objective is to bring environmental awareness to our audience and guide us all toward sustainable solutions to the problems we face. Each film must be based on valid, factual information. Please no advocacy films. Those with a solution orientation will be regarded most favorably.

Please specify which issues are addressed in the film (food, water, waste, energy, chemical contamination, population, social justice, sustainability, animals, sustainable business, green building, etc,) as well as the category entered.

Please specify whether any filmmakers, actors or screenwriters may be available to attend virtual and/or physical Cinema Verde screenings should your submission be selected for screening. Cinema Verde makes no guarantee regarding travel expenses – we’ll do the best we can to help and we hope you’ll do the best you can to join us!

Winners will receive full-access VIP Festival Passes to all Cinema Verde screenings, workshops, parties and events, as well as a one year membership to the virtual screenings at CinemaVerde.org. At this time, prizes are only recognition.

The individual or corporation submitting the film hereby warrants that it is authorized to commit the film for screening at Cinema Verde, and understands and accepts these requirements and regulations.

The undersigned shall indemnify and hold harmless Cinema Verde and the Gainesville Environmental Film and Arts Festival, Inc. from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees, and costs of the court) which may be incurred by reason of any claim involving copyright, trademark, credits, publicity, screening, and loss of or damage to the screening videos entered.

By submitting your film (“Film”) to Cinema Verde Environmental Film and Arts Festival, you accept and agree that you grant Cinema Verde a non-exclusive right and license to use, publish, screen, broadcast, and distribute the Film, as per the agreement stated here.

Non-English language films must have English subtitles. Please also provide closed caption files if available.

All submissions must be cinema-quality high definition DVDs or downloadable digital media files. Cinema Verde will not take responsibility for returning films submitted.

Please include a downloadable version of your film trailer if applicable.

Winning submissions may not be withdrawn by the filmmaker.