Environmental Films by Young People

Issues around the environment and climate change are at the forefront of a lot of young people's minds at the moment, becoming ever-more switched on to the threats that face our planet and the ways we can - or should - take action to create and preserve a cleaner, greener world.

Over the years of running our Film of the Month competition and the annual Into Film Awards, we've received numerous youth-made films that explore a youth perspective on 'eco-anxiety' and the environment. Below, you can find a selection of these films to watch in your club or classroom to help explore a topic that's increasingly important to young people.

Being aware of the importance of these issues to young people was part of the reason we selected climate change documentary 2040 to open the Into Film Festival, with 40 simultaneous pupil premieres ahead of its UK release. Taking a positive approach to what we can do to combat climate change, it's a refreshingly upbeat look at the climate change issue.

We're also screening The Biggest Little Farm, which tells the story of a couple who decide to follow their dream of starting a sustainable farm, and the struggles and successes they experience along the way. The Biggest Little Farm screenings will be accompanied by speakers from Greenpeace, to help young people delve deeper into the issues the film covers.

Both films are screening across the UK as part of our Festival this November, and many of the events still have tickets available, so book your free places now!

If you're unable to make it to any of our Festival screenings, check out the youth-made films below and help your students and young people explore this vitally important topic in the classroom.

Balloon

Balloon was Film of the Month winner back in September 2017, and tells the story of a plastic balloon that flies away and laments the wasteful nature of humanity.

The Plastic Ocean

This animation presents the journey of a plastic bottle after it's accidentally discarded on a beach - and demonstrates how each "accidental" dumping grows to become a wider issue of a larger magnitude.

Rainbow Girl

This short from Scotland tells the story of 'Rainbow Girl', who goes around helping marine life caught out by plastic dumped in the oceans, and makes a point about our collective responsibility.