Environmental Film Festival '26 |
Palace Kino, Champagne Video Bar, Trocadero Projects, Queen Victoria Women's Centre |
Environmental Film Festival '26 |
25 Oct - 8 Nov |
Environmental Film Festival '26 | Palace Kino, Champagne Video Bar, Trocadero Projects, Queen Victoria Women's Centre | Environmental Film Festival '26 | 25 Oct - 8 Nov |
Environmental Film Festival ‘26
Sun 25 Oct - Sun 8 Nov
Melbourne’s premiere showcase of environmental cinema is back for 2026, screening more than 20 films from around the world, with 17 premieres and 4 special events
With cost of living pressure increasing, the far right on the rise, and our rights to peaceful protest being eroded, climate change and our connection with the planet are seemingly being left at the wayside. So, on the 20th anniversary of Al Gore’s urgent warning in An Inconvenient Truth, this year’s theme is getting serious, with a simple yet stirring call out: ‘Who Cares?’
The program responds with a Salena Godden-inspired punch: pessimism is for lightweights. Expect rousing stories of communities taking daring stands against unbeatable odds, eye-opening reflections on the power of care and kindness, intimate accounts of responsibility, grief, conservation and custodianship, and heart-tugging animations to remind us of our interconnection with flora, fauna and the more-than-human world.
Presented by Environmental Films Australia, a volunteer-run not-for-profit that’s been part of the city’s arts landscape since 2010, the EFF26 program includes feature documentaries, shorts, experimental cine-art, talks, events and, of course, the annual festival litter-pick.
Join us at Palace Kino, Trocadero Projects, Champagne Video Bar and Queen Victoria Women’s Centre.
Features, shorts, talks and more!
Check out the Program |
Features, shorts, talks and more! Check out the Program |
Gardens of Fez
16:15, Sun 25 Oct, Champagne Video Bar
Journey through the gardens and water systems of the walled city of Fez, once central to the city’s cultural and social life, now largely abandoned.
Australian Premiere
Ea
18:30, Sun 25 Oct, Champagne Video Bar
A cinematic reflection of Indigenous resilience, centering on community leader Keʻeaumoku Kapu and his two decade-long fight to reclaim his family’s ancestral lands in Maui.
Australian Premiere
Valve Turners
18:30, Tue 27 Oct, Palace Kino
A compelling documentary following a group of five activists face as they face 27 felony and 15 misdemeanour charges, across four different US states, for halting the flow of over 2 million barrels of oil per day.
Australian Premiere
People, Power, Protection Shorts
18:30, Wed 28 Oct, Palace Kino
Challenge yourself to lean in, with a selection of international shorts that aren’t afraid to ask tough questions, pitting nihilism against joyous hope and exploring what it means to be human in a world of uncertainty.
Lost for Words
18:30, Thu 29 Oct, Palace Kino
Acorn. Bramble. Fern. Otter. Magpie. Badger. These words quietly disappeared from the Oxford Junior Dictionary in 2007, alongside a bushel of other nature-related nouns.
In her debut feature documentary, Hannah Papecek Harper responds to this loss by journeying across the UK, meeting with scientists, artists, activists and children to explore the interconnection of language, culture and care.
We Don’t Care About The Cup: Annual Festival Litterpick
10:30, Tue 2 Nov
Say Nup To The Cup with us, with our annual festival litterpick on the 3 November public holiday.
The Unfixing
16:15, Sat 7 Nov, Queen Victoria Women’s Centre
Nicole Betancourt embarks on a quest of self-discovery, following a life-changing accident, exploring the relationships that bind people to one another and to the natural world. A cross-stitched visual diary of destruction, trauma, love and renewal.
Australian Premiere
More Than Human Shorts
19:00, Sat 7 Nov, QVWC
We’re closing the festival with something a little different - a celebration of shorts, creativity and a world beyond people.
Tickets & venues |
Tickets & venues |
Tickets
SINGLE SESSIONS
Champagne Video Bar: $16
Queen Victoria Women’s Centre: $16
Palace Kino: $26
Trocadero Projects: Pay As You Feel for Just Futures Collab
Litterpick: Free
PASSES (BEST VALUE)
Full Festival pass: $126 (save $32!)
Palace Kino Triple Pass: $66 (Save $12)
Champagne Video Bar Triple Pass: $36 (Save $12)
QVWC Triple Pass: $26 (save $6)
Venues
Champagne Video Bar | 318 St. Georges Road. Fitzroy North
Queen Victoria Women’s Centre | 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne CBD
Palace Kino | 45 Collins St, Melbourne CBD
Trocadero Projects | Level 1/40 Leeds St, Footscray
Thank you... thank you... thank you... |
Thank you... thank you... thank you... |
Credits
Environmental Film Festival is brought to you by Environmental Films Australia, in partnership with Queen Victoria Women’s Centre and Ironbark Films.
The Festival is supported by Science Gallery, Trocadero Projects, Palace Kino, Champagne Video Bar, Lalala Outpick, and Rock Posters.
Trailer music provided by Plonk.
The Environmental Films Australia is a 100% volunteer-run arts charity. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event happen.