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Inspiring ethical living one film at a time

*Post Covid

Due to continuing uncertainty over Covid, we have made some changes to this years festival! The LEFF will now be a virtual event running from 24th-27th February 2022!

Submissions for our 2022 event are now open! Thank you to everyone who was involved in our virtual 2020 event. We were lucky enough to be joined online by some of the world's best filmmakers, raising awareness and facilitating action on the world's current environmental and cultural issues.

For our 2022 edition we will be holding an online event, starting 24th-27th February, in a similar style to our extremely successful 2019 event.

Please watch our 2019 highlights film now: https://vimeo.com/386495327

The London Eco Film Festival 2022 - LEFF22 - is an inspirational event which aims to bring together all the eco organisations and storytellers from around the world, to celebrate and accelerate solutions for environmental, cultural and humanitarian issues.

This year our focus is on stories from those who have struggled through lockdown, and we want to highlight the heroes of the pandemic.

The covid pandemic brought the whole world to a halt; the individual lives and functioning of communities, production and transportation systems. It also gave the world a breather; it allowed people to take a time out, and to look at the lives they have been living up until that point. Many people rediscovered their creative identities as they broke out of their everyday lives and were forced to sit with themselves. While for many of us it has been a time of reflection and revision on how to go forward without falling into the same pattern, for many, if not most, it has also been one of the loneliest times they have ever experienced.

While many wonder when will the world go back to "normal" again, many others hope it never will, because much of how we used to live was nothing close to normal. Excessive consumerism, mass production, segregation, and a class system based on the type of work you do, as well as the accompanying excruciatingly long work weeks isn't what people want to go back to anymore.

For this year, we have identified 10 submission categories, and for each of them we are welcoming film and photography submissions presented as a reflection or realisation of life before the pandemic, how things have changed for better or worse as well as how we as people, could change for the better.

We seek to inspire ethical living by elevating awareness of global struggles and triumphs alike. The LEFF aims to educate all citizens of the world, giving them a change to meet likeminded individuals and learn from experts in their fields to take the knowledge back to their own countries, homes and communities. We want to help transform our world into one that is more ethical, more safe and more sustainable for centuries to come. Education truly is the underlying foundation for any kinds of changes. We hope that the festival will foster more collaboration and ignite a public passion towards protecting the environment. And guess what? It is (and always will be) free and open to the public! Students, families and children are all welcome!

Awards & Prizes

The LEFF22 Awards will be for the best photography and films of each length (reel, short, feature) in the following categories:
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Fair Trade
Indigenous Peoples
Green Innovation
Ethical living and Sustainability
Mental Health
Global Women - Female Voices and Perspectives
Social (in)justice
Refugees
Climate Emergency
Animal Welfare

Submissions are all viewed in full, and are carefully reviewed by a panel of judges according to the following criteria:
- Quality of narrative
- Quality of sound
- Quality of cinematography
- Production value
- Independent nature of production

Prizes are awarded to the best film per category per film type. With 10 categories and 3 film types, prospective filmmakers are able to attain one of 30 exciting prizes including various film and photography equipment. Additionally, each successful participant will receive a trophy and an official certificate of excellence from the committee of the London Eco Film Festival.

The top 3 contestants will also have a chance of going abroad and becoming part of a team assisting in the creation and direction of documentaries of a few categories. (Expenses paid for, and accommodation provided), each of the lucky 3 will be working in the field and taking part in an unforgettable experience, delivering never-before-seen stories and images to audiences from across the globe!

Rules & Terms

The festival accepts submissions categorized into 3 separate film types, differentiated by length, as described below. Each of the film types involve varying degrees of preparation and direction in order to produce an unforgettable viewing experience for audiences from around the world.

1. Reels (1-5min.)
A film does not have to be long in order to have a clear, relevant and complex narrative that is able to engage with the audience and convey meaningful information. Submissions are open to “reels”, giving prospective video makers a chance to demonstrate their abilities of creating a short video, the contents and production of which may rival a full-length feature film. We expect reel content to be attention grabbing, leave you wanting more and inspired.

2. Short film (5-20min.)
For the purposes of our event we have defined a short film with a running time between 5 and 20 minutes including all credits. Short films are a great opportunity to showcase talent while expressing your creative ideas on a topic within a relatively short time, meaning it requires an effective message. Often a prequel to a feature film, a typical first stage for new filmmakers, or for experienced ones as an alternative form of expression.

3. Feature Film (20-90min)
From an episode of a TV series to a full-length feature film, this film type lets prospective video makers take a deeper dive into the world of cinema, giving them a chance to write, produce and direct a potential blockbuster that will change the way the audience views a certain topic. Let your inner Spielberg blossom on the big screen!