Grants Application Window is Closing
We’re still accepting applications for our 2026 Grants Open Call, but the clock’s ticking fast!
There are less than two weeks remaining before the May 14 deadline.
As a reminder: Selected filmmakers will receive $40,000 in grant funding, along with yearlong support that includes mentorship, access to industry and environmental experts, a cohort-based fellowship experience, and an in-person convening focused on creative and professional development.
If you know a filmmaker with a bold environmental story to tell, now is the time to share this opportunity!
Emmy Nominations and Festival Highlights
Huge congratulations to the teams behind Black Snow and Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya on their recent Emmy nominations! Both 2022 The Redford Center grantee films, Black Snow was nominated in the category of Best Documentary, and Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya was nominated for both Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Music Composition in the Documentary category.
Emmy Nominees
Black Snow follows homemaker-turned-journalist Natalia Zubkova as she investigates an abandoned mine fire releasing toxic gas into residential homes.
When her reporting goes viral, government officials launch an aggressive cover-up campaign, putting her directly in their crosshairs.
Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya tells the story of a small group of Blackfoot people and their mission to establish the first wild buffalo herd on their ancestral territory since the species’ near-extinction a century ago, an act that would restore the land, re-enliven traditional culture and bring much needed healing to their community.
SFFILM Screening
Last weekend, our entire team was thrilled to attend a screening of 2022 Redford Center grantee Daughters of the Forest: Mycelium Chronicles at the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival! It was a joy to see the fruits of the filmmaker’s hard work on the big screen in glorious technicolor. After the sold out screening, filmmakers Otilia Portillo Padua and Paola Arroio Sandoval and post-production supervisor Fernando G. Maganda, sat on a panel and answered audience questions about their filmmaking journey. We also got to hang out with the filmmaking team, celebrating their tireless work to bring their award-winning film to audiences around the globe.
This Sunday, May 3, Daughters of the Forest: Mycelium Chronicles will be screening at the Margaret Mead Film Festival at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.
Upcoming Screenings
Groundswell has been named an Official Selection at the 79th Festival de Cannes!
The latest film in the documentary trilogy that includes Redford Center supported films Kiss the Ground and Common Ground, Groundswell travels the globe to reveal how farmers, scientists, and Indigenous leaders are using regenerative practices to restore ecosystems, combat climate crises, and reimagine agriculture as a powerful solution for healing the planet. We’re so happy that this film will be shown on the global stage it deserves at Festival de Cannes.
The Redford Center in the Wild
We’ve been busy bees this month out in the world at industry events. From celebrating the achievements of supported filmmakers to learning from peers across the climate and documentary fields, these gatherings help us stay connected to the people, ideas, and stories shaping the future of environmental storytelling.
- We were honored to attend the Goldman Environmental Prize award ceremony in San Francisco, celebrating six extraordinary women driving victories for their communities around the world.
- We were inspired by “Turning the Tides,” SF Climate Week conversation about the growing power of solutions-focused storytelling as a lever for change, featuring Alex Honnold and Amy Bowers Cordalis.
- We proudly joined film industry professionals at SFFILM Industry Days to hear from nearly 70 filmmakers developing projects with environmental themes.
- At Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in Toronto, where we’ve previously been introduced to many of our successful supported filmmakers, we connected with up and coming artists from around the world to learn more about the stories they’re passionate about bringing to life.
Coming Soon from The Redford Center
We’re gearing up to host our 2026 Nature Connection Pitch at DC/DOX this June, where five film teams will pitch short documentaries about reconnecting people and communities with nature and the outdoors. Four film teams will receive a non-recoupable grant of $5,000, and the grand prize winner will take home a non-recoupable grant of $30,000 to continue bringing their vision to life!
Keep an eye out for our finalist announcement on May 13, and check out early-bird passes for DC/DOX if you’d like to attend.
About The Redford Center
Co-founded in 2005 by activists and filmmakers Robert Redford and James Redford, The Redford Center is a nonprofit that advances environmental solutions through the power of stories that move. As one of the only US-based nonprofits solely dedicated to environmental impact filmmaking, The Redford Center develops and invests in projects that foster action and strengthen the reach of the grassroots efforts powering the environmental movement. Over the years, The Redford Center has produced three award-winning feature documentaries and more than 40 short films, supported over 150 film and media projects with grants and other services, inspired the creation of 550 student films, and disbursed more than $20 million to environmental film projects, amplifying change-making environmental solutions to millions of people worldwide.
