We regret to inform you that we have cancelled the 2022 film festival. We will not be holding a screening or issuing recognition and prizes for this year.

We hope to bring the festival back in the future.

Thank you again for wanting to help us bring great filmmaking about ESG to the public.

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Hello, documentary filmmakers!

Our festival is calling for short-form documentaries that tell inspiring stories of sustainability, equality, and inclusion from around the world.

InvestmentNews and the United Nations are collaborating again on an event to inspire audiences about the power of responsible business. We want to share stories of people and places across the globe whose lives have been made better by unique entrepreneurs, investments, companies and individuals that are changing the world one step at a time.

ESG (environmental, social and governance), responsible business, sustainable investing, impact investing--they're all different names for a broad category and a big idea: that to create positive systemic change, we must put businesses and the markets to good use because governments and non-profits are not enough on their own. What happens when a business decides its goal is not just profit, but purpose?

The festival’s goal is to mainstream the story of ESG.

The festival will be held Nov. 8 in Boston, MA, in person. Filmmakers or their representatives do not need to attend in person in order to be eligible to win.

We know that you as documentary filmmakers are driven by this same mission, but that you might not be familiar with the world of responsible business, the United Nations, and other aspects such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. To help you as a filmmaker, please visit <a href="https://www.investmentnews.com/impactfest" target="0">our film festival information page</a> for a more in-depth explanation of impact investing, our winning films from years past, and an overview video. You can also learn more about ESG investing on our site, ESG Clarity: https://esgclarity.com/us/

Send us your films. Help us celebrate the changes happening around the globe.

Awards & Prizes

We will have two awards with a cash prize for each and an eco-friendly bamboo trophy.

Judged by a panel of experts and filmmakers:

Best Film

Judged live by the audience:

Audience Choice

Rules & Terms

MUST BE A DOCUMENTARY. Any other submission will be discarded immediately, without consideration.

Films will be filtered first by meeting basic criteria:

- A story representing sustainability, equality, inclusion. Highlighting a business, entrepreneur, or investment is strongly encouraged.
- 8 minutes or less in length
- No prior public presentations
- Must be original work
- Must have been produced in the time period between May 2021 and the submission deadline in 2022
- Animations acceptable
- Student work acceptable

Qualifying films will then be judged and selected by a panel. Films will be chosen based on:
- Artistic expression and creativity
- Ability to inspire audiences
- A powerful story of responsible business
- Skill of the filmmaking crafts

Other notes:
- Filmmakers may submit more than one film. However, only one film per filmmaker will be selected
- Films may be part of a larger project
- Films may have been previously sponsored, but no prior sponsor representation will be allowed at the ESG Film Festival
- Films that do not meet basic criteria may be re-edited and re-submitted. For example, a 10-minute film can be re-cut to an 8-minute version for this festival
- Accepted films may be requested to make minor changes to accommodate technical requirements of the event or venue
3 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Nick Lear

    Thanks so much for including our film!

    January 2022
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you for submitting and making our festival a success!

  • Khalid Khan

    Impact Forum mingles environmentalism with sustainable investment goals. It's a unique initiative with an immense potential for gravitating green filmmakers to orientate their climate conscience projects by accentuating financial facets of urban development that might be vitiating the natural habitat of bio-diverse fauna or flora.

    December 2021
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you! We're excited to do even more!

  • Alisher Jaborov

    there was no communication at all

    December 2021
    Helpful
    Response from festival:

    Thank you--that's something you'll see change this year.