# Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital (DCEFF) is the largest environmental film festival in the world. The festival is held annually March in Washington, D.C., presenting more than 100 films to an audience of over 30,000. Often combined with thematic discussions and social events, the films screen at museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters.

## Mission

The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital is the world's premier showcase of environmentally themed films. Through the annual festival, year-round events, and online resources, they seek to advance public understanding of the environment through the power of film.

## History

From the official website of the festival: "Founded by Flo Stone in 1993, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital has become one of the world's largest and most influential showcases of environmental film and a major collaborative cultural event in Washington, D.C. Each March the Festival presents a diverse selection of high quality environmental films, including many Washington, D.C., U.S. and world premieres. Documentaries, features, animations and shorts are shown, as well as archival, experimental and children's film at venues throughout the city. Films are screened at partnering museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters and are attended by large audiences. Selected to provide fresh perspectives on global environmental issues, most Festival films are accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, environmental experts and special guests, including national decision makers and thought leaders, and are free to the public. The Festival's website serves as a global resource for environmental film throughout the year."
A March 10, 2007, article from The Washington Post stated that in the first year of the festival only 1,200 people attended. In 2011 the festival had grown to 30,000 participants.
The Festival was voted Best Film Festival by the readers of Washington City Paper in 2019 and 2020.

## Awards

Documentary Award for Environmental Advocacy
* 2025 – Out of Plain Sight by Daniel Straub and Rosanna Xia
* 2016 - "How to Let Go of the World" by Josh Fox
* 2015 - Racing Extinction by Louie Psihoyos
* 2014 - DamNation by Travis Rummel and Ben Knight
William W. Warner Beautiful Swimmers Award
* 2016 - "The Seer" by Laura Dunn
* 2015 - "TigerTiger" by George Butler
Polly Krakora Award for Artistry in Film
* 2016 - The Birth of Saké by Erik Shirai
* 2015 - Monsoon by Sturla Gunnarsson
* 2014 - "Once Upon A Forest" by Luc Jacquet
* 2013 - Harmony by Stuart Sender
* 2012 - The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker
* 2011 - Oil Rocks: City Above the Sea by Marc Wolfensberger
* 2010 - The Music Tree by Otavio Juliano
Eric Moe Sustainability Award
* 2016 - "Bluebird Man" by Matthew Podolsky and Neil Paprocki
* 2015 - "Silent River" by Jason Jaacks and Steve Fisher
* 2014 - "Amazing Grace" by Rowan Pybus

## Venues

Films are screened at partnering museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters. Some of the venues include:
* AFI Silver Theatre
* American University
* Atlas Performing Arts Center
* Avalon Theatre
* Canadian Embassy
* Carnegie Institution for Science
* Corcoran Gallery of Art
* E Street Cinema
* Embassy of Australia
* Embassy of Austria
* Embassy of France
* Embassy of Italy
* Embassy of Japan
* Embassy of the Republic of Singapore
* Embassy of Switzerland
* Freer Gallery of Art
* George Washington University
* Georgetown University
* Goethe Institut Washington
* Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
* Inter-American Development Bank
* Johns Hopkins University SAIS
* Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
* National Academy of Sciences
* The National Archives
* National Building Museum
* National Gallery of Art
* National Geographic Society
* National Museum of American History
* National Museum of the American Indian
* National Museum of Natural History
* National Museum of Women in the Arts
* National Portrait Gallery
* National Wildlife Visitor Center
* The Phillips Collection
* Royal Netherlands Embassy
* Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC)
* Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars