EARTH CONNECTION FILM FESTIVAL

Earth Day, April 22, 2026 at IU Cinema

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*Tickets can be collected at box office for free on festival day, or purchased online below for $1.00

1 – 2:45 pm | RESPONSIBILITY
4 – 5:45 pm | INTERDEPENDENCE
7 – 8:45 pm | HOPE

See detailed event schedule

The Earth Connection Film Festival features innovative environmental films capturing hope, responsibility, and interdependence to the Earth with artistry, innovation, and soul. It tackles our greatest environmental threat yet: how we view and respond to the challenges we face. 

How can we foster hope in the shadow of environmental crises? Concern for future generations and choosing to be a positive force on Earth.
How do you view our interdependent relationship to Earth? Humans rely on Earth and its resources for our life and wellbeing. The earth is our home.
How do we instill a sense of responsibility to our environment? Guiding philosophies that include stewardship, moral obligation and traditional ecological knowledge.
Festival Co-director | Jessica Eise, PhD | Indiana University, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health

“Scientific research teaches us new things everyday. Our early research has shown the vast majority of people, regardless of how they identify, want to be good people and feel we have a responsibility to our Earth. But we can get entrenched in mental frameworks that keep is from seeing issues in a new way, or even block us from living by our actual values. Storytelling and film is one such way to break through old models of thinking, and allow us to explore different perspectives on issues.”

Festival Co-director | Sarah Lasley | Cal Poly Humboldt, Department of Art + Film

“As humans, we seek stories. To entertain us, to distract us, to process and make sense of our worlds. Film has the ability to affect audiences deeply, and its power to persuade makes it a uniquely potent tool for social change. In a sea of doom and gloom climate news, people are looking for a way out of the spiral. They want stories that don’t just explain what is happening, but help them feel why it matters and believe that change is possible.”

The Earth Connection Film Festival supports filmmakers who address environmental challenges through storytelling. The festival awards $12,000 in screening fees and $5,250 in prizes to the winning films. This free international short film contest blends science and the arts, unleashing the power of storytelling to help channel our ideas of environmental crises to a more actionable, empowering space.

The 2026 festival will take place at the IU Cinema—a world-renown arthouse theater located on the Indiana University campus—as part of IU Cinema’s Creative Collaborations program.

We face major environmental challenges, and reclaiming and remembering our universal love, wonder, and awe of nature may be a tool to help us regain momentum. Longitudinal studies underpinning and informing this project examine deep processing, mental models and social norms, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (PI Jessica Eise, #2318681).

Funding and support for the 2026 Festival is generously provided by:

COMMUNITY OUTREACH INVITES YOUNG CHILDREN INTO FILM AND NATURE

This fall, we taught toddlers how to film nature. They ran through the forest of a local nature school to capture footage.

Early findings in our research indicate that early childhood memories play a key part in how adults relate to the environment. They remind us of why we love – and relate – to nature, something we ALL share in common.

Overlaid to the compelling beats of HOPE by Tonic Walter featuring Jane Goodall, this video captures the wonder of nature through the eyes of children – a poignant reminder why our connection to Earth matters. This unique collab directed and edited by Jessica Eise weaves together famous DJ duo Tonic Walter, the featured voice of beloved activist Jane Goodall, and the hopeful perspective of toddlers, whose wonder-struck eyes were once the lens we all shared – and can once more.

Watch HOPE featuring and filmed by Bloomington toddlers
Toddlers gather after filming the forest to wrap up by singing.
Festival director Dr. Jessica Eise with youngest filmmaker in attendance.
Miniature filmmakers running on set to start capturing footage.

© Earth Connection Film Festival