10th Anniversary of One Earth Film Festival

The One Earth Film Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary event from March 5 through 14 with the theme of 10 Years of Inspiring Change. Recognizing the festival’s evolution and stature, the parent organization, Green Community Connections, rebranded in February under the name One Earth Collective, with a new logo and website at OneEarthCollective.org. “The decision to rebrand reflects the fact that most people in the Chicago area know us by our work through the One Earth Film Festival,” says board member Carolyn McCormick.

The all-virtual festival will feature more than 25 outstanding short and feature-length films that shine a light on the most important issues of our time. Audiences can learn about solutions and actions to address climate, environmental justice, conservation, waste and more from the comfort of home, including filmmaker and expert Q&As.

The One Earth Collective has three program areas: OneEarth Film Festival; One Earth Youth Voices, which focuses on programs for youth ages 8 to 25; and One Earth Local/Green Community Connections, which focuses on local sustainability programs in Oak Park and River Forest.

For 10 years, the annual One Earth Film Festival has brought to the Chicago area some of the most compelling environmental documentaries of the moment. The Oak Park-based nonprofit is now a well-known name with a reach that extends beyond its humble beginnings as a three-day event that drew 500 people in its inaugural year.

In 2019, Festival attendance reached 6,000, with screenings taking place throughout Chicago and surrounding counties, including northwest Indiana. The pandemic caused One Earth to switch to virtual screenings, allowing it to draw audiences from as far away as New Zealand.