If one man knows unique and excellent bear docs, it's Werner Herzog. A big congratulations to filmmakers Jack Weisman & Gabriela Osio Vanden on being named the winners of this year's Werner Herzog Film Award for NUISANCE BEAR. The film also won our William W. Warner Award earlier this year.

BIG congrats are in order for this year's Warner Award winner NUISANCE BEAR. Last week, it was announced that the film will receive the prestigious Werner Herzog Film Award, which is given annually for "achievements in innovation, courage, & vision." More here: www.wernerherzog.org/en/werner-he...

Our FREE virtual encore series kicks off today with these popular shorts from DCEFF 2026. Watch it here, now through Sunday: tinyurl.com/DCEFF-TrailblazersEncore

ICYMI, last week we were named DC’s Best Film Festival by the readers of @wcp.bsky.social for the 8th(!) year in a row! We’re of course tremendously honored and grateful to our audience. If you want to relive any of the highlights from DCEFF 2026, check out: dceff.org/festival

“Through its early-anime stylings and modern-mythology storytelling, Nausicaa serves as a pointed and poignant reminder that all of us are implicated and have a role to play in reconciling our lives and our communities with the balance of life on Earth.” - Prof. Randall Amster, Georgetown University

Exploring the Environment with Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

The underseen Miyazaki title emphasizes balance with nature.

open.substack.com

Thank you to everyone who voted! Even after 8 years in a row, winning Best of DC never stops being an honor. In this city, that really means something. Just look at those finalists!

DCEFF 2026's Opening Night film - A LIFE ILLUMINATED - has an official trailer and plans to screen in NYC and LA later this month!

IndieWire@indiewire.com · 4w ago

Tasha Van Zandt's documentary about pioneering oceanographer and bioluminescence obsessive Dr. Edith Widder will only make you want to see more.

On July 2, 2024, five activists from Mother Nature Cambodia were jailed after they sounded the alarm about river pollution and land reclamation projects. Two years later, they remain imprisoned.. @mongabay.com’s short THE CLEARING tells their story: substack.com/home/post/p-167357741

Tonight!

DC Environmental Film Festival@dceff.bsky.social · last mo.

DCEFF Executive Director Monica Schorn will take part in a post-screening convo around GASLIT this Thurs at the Angelika Pop-Up. In the new doc, Jane Fonda ventures into oil and gas country, meeting the people exposing the fossil fuel industry. Tix: angelikafilmcenter.com/dc/movies/details/gaslit

DCEFF Executive Director Monica Schorn will take part in a post-screening convo around GASLIT this Thurs at the Angelika Pop-Up. In the new doc, Jane Fonda ventures into oil and gas country, meeting the people exposing the fossil fuel industry. Tix: angelikafilmcenter.com/dc/movies/details/gaslit

Screenings at AFI added through July 2!

DC Environmental Film Festival@dceff.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Did you miss TIME AND WATER at DC/DOX? We’re co-presenting a week of screenings at the AFI Silver, June 19-26! silver.afi.com/movies/detai...

It's National Pollinator Week! Lots of the buzz may be around bees, but DCEFF has featured a wide variety of these important creatures (bats, birds, moths, and more!) - in our past selections. Watch some of them via our Pollinator Playlist here: dceff.org/pollinators-playlist/

Happy National Pollinator Week! In the name of pollinator appreciation, we’re sharing five fascinating takeaways from our conversation with Bertie Gregory about the new Nat Geo series SECRETS OF THE BEES. 🌼 🐝

Five "Secrets of the Bees" Secrets

Some takeaways from our interview with Bertie Gregory

open.substack.com

Did you miss TIME AND WATER at DC/DOX? We’re co-presenting a week of screenings at the AFI Silver, June 19-26! silver.afi.com/movies/detai...

Great new piece in Outside about our 2026 Centerpiece Selection THE [CONSERV]ATIVES.

Outside Magazine@outsidemag.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The new documentary “(Conserv)atives” explores the intersection between right-wing politics and environmental activism

Looking for great new environmental films to enjoy all year-round? Over 20 Selections from our 2026 Festival are now available to stream — either directly on our website or via popular streaming services and on demand. Check those out here: dceff.org/watchnow-2026

Time is running out to vote in City Paper's Best of DC. Vote DCEFF for Best Film Festival here: bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts-and-entertainment/best-film-festival

DC Environmental Film Festival@dceff.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Did we live up to the title of DC's Best Film Festival again this year? City Paper’s Best of DC is going on now! Now more than ever, we hope you will help send a message about the importance of environmental storytelling by voting for us! bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts-and-entertainment

Today is World Oceans Day! In the year ahead, we commit to highlighting stories that explore important marine issues, uplift frontline heroes, spark debate, and educate the next generation. Your contribution today will help us bring important stories like these to DC and beyond. dceff.org/donate

Today is World Environment Day — which is sorta tied with Earth Day as our favorite day of the year. To celebrate, here are some free streaming recs from our March 2026 Festival.

Five FREE World Environment Day Streaming Recs

Celebrate this weekend with these 2026 DCEFF Selections

open.substack.com

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us at last week's DCEFF Garden Party! It was wonderful to celebrate more than three decades of environmental storytelling with you as we look ahead to the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital’s milestone 35th Anniversary (April 8-17, 2027).

An Environmental Film Festival to kick off Earth Month? Makes all the sense in the world. The dates for our 35th Anniversary Festival are set! Stay tuned for more news about what we’re planning for this milestone year. dceff.org/subscribe

It should come as no surprise that bees have been prominently-featured in DCEFF programming over the years. To celebrate World Bee Day, we put together some free streaming suggestions, including a recent award-winning short and our conversation with Bertie Gregory about SECRETS OF THE BEES.

World Bee Day Streaming Suggestions

Today we celebrate the outsized importance of some very small creatures

substack.com

Did you miss our sold out screening of NUISANCE BEAR back in March? The film, which won our 2026 William W. Warner Award and the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, was recently acquired by MUBI. They plan to announce release details in the near future. www.thewrap.com/creative-con...

"This Tony Leung drama will leaf you mesmerized." - RogerEbert .com The critically-acclaimed SILENT FRIEND (also starring Lea Seydoux) opens Friday at the AFI Silver! Very excited to be co-presenting this stunning new film. Showtimes & tickets here: silver.afi.com/movies/detail/0100005341

We’re so excited to again be a community partner of the Hollywood Climate Summit! This partnership grows our creative sector’s awareness and action on this issue, while emphasizing the importance of storytelling to direct public attention toward the climate. hollywoodclimatesummit.com/tickets

194 year old Jonathan the Tortoise, the oldest living land animal, wishes Sir David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday.

Happy 100th birthday to the one-and-only Sir David Attenborough! We were so fortunate to have Attenborough join us for our 2004 Festival, where he received a the Smithsonian Medal for a lifetime of distinguished work. In the 20+ years since, he hasn't slowed down!

Did you miss our sold out screening of NUISANCE BEAR back in March? The film, which won our 2026 William W. Warner Award & the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, was recently acquired by MUBI. They plan to announce release details in the near future. We'll certainly post updates as they become available.

Sundance 2026 Movies Sold So Far: Mubi Buys Grand Jury Prize Winner ‘Nuisance Bear’

All the movies acquired by distributors out of the Sundance Film Festival 2026, updated as they come in.

indiewire.com

Join us at 1pm for our special live conversation with the filmmaker and activists from NOT WITHOUT US here: tinyurl.com/Notwithoutus-DCEFF

DC Environmental Film Festival@dceff.bsky.social · 3mo ago

NOT WITHOUT US is now free to stream! Watch it, then join us for a live virtual conversation with filmmaker Mark Decena and activists from the film on May 6 at 1:00pm EST. watch.eventive.org/dceff/play/6...

Did we live up to the title of DC's Best Film Festival again this year? City Paper’s Best of DC is going on now! Now more than ever, we hope you will help send a message about the importance of environmental storytelling by voting for us! bestof2026.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts-and-entertainment