*We have decided to cancel the festival for this year. Thank you for your support.*

The mission of the Health in Focus Film Festival is to improve the health of populations by pairing compelling visual stories with thoughtful discussion. Programming consists of invited, feature-length films, a panel discussion, and several blocks of short films.

Health in Focus is a program of Population Health Exchange, the lifelong learning hub at Boston University School of Public Health. We provide educational programs and resources to anyone interested in adding to or furthering their population health knowledge and skills.

Audience Award
Emerging Filmmaker Award (first time and/or student filmmaker)
Jury Award

Films must be less than 20 minutes in length and subject matter must relate to public health. See examples of themes below:

hate, incarceration, suicide, substance use, climate change, reproductive justice, firearm violence, inequities (economic, gender, race, LGBTQIA+, transgender, immigrants, refugees), aging, activism, urban health, prevention, innovation, media, social movements, nurturing empathy

Submissions must be in English or have English subtitles. Selected films must also provide closed captions. Filmmakers must hold or have cleared all rights to film content, in particular for the purpose of public screening.

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Brittany Charlotte Smith

    Great festival! Really inviting, friendly and professional.

    December 2022
  • Calan Mengel

    Our team had so much fun attending the Health in Focus Film Festival this year. It was a lovely little festival on Boston University's campus, and we had the pleasure of seeing some fantastic narratives, docs, puppetry, and animation pieces. It was extremely neat going to a niche festival where all of the films fall under one category, and we all learned so much from one another. Nick and the rest of the festival staff were extremely easy and kind to contact. Highly recommend attending this festival!

    December 2022