The Earth Connection Film Festival features short films that champion hope, interdependence, and responsibility in the face of growing fatigue and polarization around pressing environmental issues.
Taking place on Earth Day, April 22, 2026, the event features international and award-winning short films and is free and open to the public. Each film addresses one or more of the following themes spanning three programs: humans' responsibility to Earth; the bond between Earth and humans; hope for our environment. Tickets are free at the box office on festival day or can be purchased in advance online (with a $1 processing fee) by clicking the www.cinema.indiana.edu hyperlinks in the schedule below:
1–2:45 p.m. RESPONSIBILITY
3–3:45 p.m. Plant Propagation Party
4–5:45 p.m. INTERDEPENDENCE
5:45–7 p.m. Break
7–8:45 p.m. HOPE + Awards Ceremony
Winning films will earn cash prizes, and the festival offers attendees the voluntary option to support ongoing research by participating in a study on which environmental messages endure and why. The festival also hosted a community event in Fall 2025 that taught local Bloomington toddlers how to film surrounding forest, capturing the love of nature from the wonderstruck eyes of our youngest citizens. This film forms part of a unique collaboration with the Jane Goodall Institute in Germany and acclaimed European DJ duo Tonic Walter. Watch the promo entitled HOPE.
This full-day event is free thanks to generous support from the Earth Rising Foundation and Indiana University (Environmental Resilience Institute, Campus Sustainability, IU Cinema, School of Public Health-Bloomington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Kelley School of Business Institute for Environmental and Social Sustainability, Ostrom Workshop).
Festival director Jessica Eise is an assistant professor in the School of Public Health-Bloomington Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. “The festival blends science and the arts to tackle one of our greatest environmental threats yet: how we respond to the challenges we face,” explains Eise. Festival co-director Sarah Lasley is a video artist and assistant professor of film at California's Cal Poly Humboldt. Lasley says, “People want stories that don’t just explain what is happening, but help them feel why it matters and believe that change is possible.”
Learn more at: www.earthconnectionfilmfestival.com