SUBMISSIONS ARE CLOSED FOR THIS YEAR.

Please watch for notification about next year’s Festival!

Or send us a message on the form at the bottom of https://www.ihsfilmfestival.org and we will notify you.

Our first ever film fest ran from June 25 – September 25, 2022. It kicks off in the years in between the Symposium to provide continued opportunities for connection and learning among plant lovers everywhere.

For 2022’s inaugural festival, we received incredible submissions from filmmakers and photographers across the globe—from Brazil, to France, to Turkey, to Canada, and beyond. The final selections feature 40 films (a combination of shorts and feature-length) and seven photographers. These works are intended to ignite a spark in all who see them—encouraging viewers to advocate for the voiceless plants and fungi that need our help.

Whether you are a new or experienced FILM MAKER or PHOTOGRAPHER we call on you to add your touch, your view and your perspective. No matter how small or large your vision is, we welcome you to the International Herb Symposium Film Festival.

Do you have a passion for plants and especially medicinal plants, educating others and addressing the many tough issues? The demand on the global plant kingdom is facing unfathomable challenges and we would like your take on this subject.

Consider producing a film or submitting a photograph with that passion that will help ignite the desire within you and others to contribute to the International Herb Symposium Film Festival.

We are still open and continue receiving submissions until May 21st, 2022.

All winners and official selections will have an opportunity to join our permanent online festival and share your film with our growing audience of IHS-FF members.

TOPICS:


Conservation & Environmental Issues
Diverse Voices / Cultural Stories
Endangered Plants
Forest Bathing / Nature Rx
Growing Herbs
Herbal Supply Chain (Harvesting/Selling)
History of Herbal Knowledge
Indigenous / Ancestral Medicine
Integrative Medicine
Legends of Herbalism
Mushrooms/Mycology
Plant Based Textiles
Plant Conservation
Plant Folklore
Sacred Sites
Traditional Healing

CATEGORIES:

Best in Festival – Any category. Grand Prize GLADSTAR AWARD $5000 USD
Feature – Grand Prize $1000 USD
Short – Grand Prize $1000 USD
Photography - Capture Nature's Art. Grand Prize STEVEN FOSTER AWARD $500 USD

Awards & Prizes

Qualified juries, each composed of recognized figures in the herbal industry, film making, and environmental activism appointed by the Festival’s Direction, will assign official prizes.
 
BEST IN FESTIVAL - Any category. Grand Prize GLADSTAR AWARD $5000 USD. Rosemary Gladstar Founded the IHS in 1991 bringing together plant lovers & herbalists from around the world, representing many traditions and aspects of herbalism: folkloric, scientific, community outreach & therapeutic applications, farming and gardening, ceremonial and plant spirit teachings and many others.

BEST FEATURE – 60 to 120 minutes. Tell the whole story. Grand Prize $1000 USD, Three runner-ups $250USD.

BEST SHORT – 5 to 30 minutes. Focus on an idea. Grand Prize $1000 USD, Three runner-ups $250USD.

BEST PHOTOGRAPHY - Capture nature's art. Grand Prize STEVEN FOSTER AWARD $500 USD, Three runner ups $125USD.

OFFICIAL SELECTION - Each category has a select number of Official Selections awarded.

Rules & Terms

At this time, we don't do any physical screenings or live events until further notice.

All entry fees are non-refundable.

Multiple entries from the same submitter are accepted. A separate submission and a separate entry fee must accompany each entry.

We will NOT publish any film on the IHS FF website without the permission of the owner.

All films that are not in English must have English language subtitles.

If the film wins an award we will screen the film or photograph on our IHS FF website from June 25 - to September 25, 2022. Unless notified by the film producers, submitting films to the International Herb Symposium Film Festival indicates acceptance that permission is granted to screen the film on our website. The International Herb Symposium Film Festival cannot offer financial compensation for screening the awarded films during this period.

Submissions are accepted only via our FilmFreeway site.

Submissions received without an online screener will not be accepted.

All selected films and winners will receive the laurels by email.

All the winners of each category will receive an award certificate by email.

By submitting your project to IHS Film Festival you confirm that you own the rights to the work submitted. Participants’ films must follow copyright laws for music, footage or any other form of material used in their films. Talent releases are required for all on-camera interviews.

All the nominations and award winners will be listed on our website.

1 Review
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
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Networking
  • Cyrille Cornu

    A great festival and a wonderful and to much rare theme, plants. Very happy to be part of this year selection with Mamody, the last baobab digger. Great communication and kindness !

    October 2022
    Helpful
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you for the comments, Cyrille. We had many 1000's of viewers seeing the films and sending positive comments. We feel it will be a great platform to collectively get these films to an interested audience.
    GA