Featured Film From Kurils With Love
Set in one of the most inaccessible volcanic island chains in the world, this impressively-shot short by Taylor Rees (Free Solo) introduces us to a true warrior for the planet on an intimate journey of visual bliss, sea lion chaos, and ultimately a greater hope for the Earth.
Enjoy DCEFF Programming Online
Unfortunately, we had to cancel our March 2020 Festival screenings in D.C. due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we were able to work with many of our wonderful filmmakers to offer close to 50% of this year’s Festival Selections via this online platform. Since the end of March, we have had to stop offering some of these films, but most remain available today — we’ve even added new titles!
NOTE: All of the films below, along with hundreds of other past Festival Selections, can also now be found on our Watch Now: DCEFF Online page.
NOTE REGARDING THIRD-PARTY SERVICES
Some third party video providers — such as Netflix, Amazon, or Hulu — may require that you have an account with them or pay for access to their content. If you have any questions or difficulties with these services, you should contact their support departments.
NOTE REGARDING PASSWORDS
The following films all require passwords to view. Those can be found on the individual film pages:
80° North
- vimeo
80° North
A group of international artists explore the Arctic island chain of Svalbard. Set against dramatic natural backdrops, the artists share their hopes, fears, and insights on encountering an environment undergoing radical change.
A Better Life – Blue Habits Baja
- youtube
A Better Life – Blue Habits Baja
Remote areas of Baja California’s Peninsula are home to some of the last wild coasts on Earth.
A Living River
- vimeo
A Living River
The Hudson River Valley has been called America's Serengeti, for the abundance of wildlife in what many wrongly consider to be a "dead" river.
A Reindeer’s Journey
- amazon
- misc
A Reindeer’s Journey
Meet Ailo, a newborn reindeer who embarks on an incredible odyssey with the help of his mother. Narrated by Donald Sutherland and set against the frozen majesty of northern Finland, this an uplifting story for the whole family.
A Taste of Sky
- amazon
A Taste of Sky
Delicately details the journey of two students from Gustu, the groundbreaking cooking school and fine-dining restaurant founded by Noma's Claus Meyer in La Paz, Bolivia
A Voice for the Rivers: The Riverkeepers of Maryland's Eastern Shore
- vimeo
A Voice for the Rivers: The Riverkeepers of Maryland's Eastern Shore
Professional and citizen river keepers monitor and protect the rivers of Maryland's Eastern Shore. The film is a tribute to the beauty of our rivers and to the individuals dedicated to protecting and preserving these living treasures.
A Walk Through The Land of a Thousand Hills
- vimeo
A Walk Through The Land of a Thousand Hills
Claver Ntoyinkima, a native park ranger, shares the secrets of Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda as he guides us through the forest.
All That Remains
- youtube
All That Remains
A year after wildfires ravaged Northern California’s wine country, its vulnerable population of farmworkers, many of them undocumented, find themselves in a heightened state of insecurity and inequality.
Anbessa
- vimeood
Anbessa
A young boy displaced by a massive condominium complex creates his own reality in which, as a lion (anbessa), he can face the forces beyond his control.
Ani Wa Sa (We Are One)
- vimeo
Ani Wa Sa (We Are One)
Two brothers who come from a line of Zande hunters pursue protecting their forest from diametrically opposed avenues.
Artifishal
- youtube
Artifishal
Focusing on people, rivers, and the fight for the future of wild fish and the environment that supports them, Artifishal explores wild salmon's slide towards extinction, threats posed by hatcheries and fish farms, and our continued loss of faith in nature.
Bare Existence
- vimeo
Bare Existence
A behind-the-scenes look into the plight of the polar bear, Bare Existence focuses on the biologists on the front lines of protecting these animals as they battle against the effects of climate change threatening their existence.
Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story
- amazon
Barefoot: The Mark Baumer Story
Writer and activist Mark Baumer walked barefoot for over 100 days to protest climate change.
Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War
- vimeood
Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War
The complex world of wildlife trafficking is viewed through a feminine lens in this thorough exploration of the emotional toll that poaching and wildlife crime are having on the courageous women fighting on the front lines.
Chasing Ghosts
- youtube
Chasing Ghosts
Deep in remote Florida swamps, a team of researchers and photographers have made a new discovery that upends what we thought we knew about the ghost orchid, one of the world’s most iconic flowers, and how it reproduces.
The Church Forests of Ethiopia
- youtube
The Church Forests of Ethiopia
Tells the story of the country's church forests -- pockets of lush biodiversity that are protected by hundreds of churches “scattered like emerald pearls across the brown sea of farm fields.”
Collodion: The Process of Preservation
- amazon
Collodion: The Process of Preservation
The lens of photographer and physician Eric Overton captures a fearless and uncommonly vulnerable self-portrait of American wilderness, our relationship to each other, and the possibility that nature itself may be all we need to find common ground.
Constant Thought
- youtube
Constant Thought
When the traditional methods of coping with trauma don't work, what options do you have left? Brandon Kuehn, an Iraq War veteran, believes the best way to face a range of trauma is to reach for literal physical summits -- and he isn't alone.
The Cordillera of Dreams
- amazon
The Cordillera of Dreams
Winner of the Best Documentary award at the Cannes Film Festival, master filmmaker Patricio Guzmán's The Cordillera of Dreams completes his trilogy (with Nostalgia for the Light and The Pearl Button) investigating the relationship between historical memory, political trauma, and geography in his native country of Chile.
Cries of Our Ancestors
- vimeo
Cries of Our Ancestors
In the highlands of Guinea, people and chimpanzees live peacefully side by side. Myths and stories -- and a mutual respect for one another -- have preserved this relationship for generations.
Current Sea
- amazon
- itunes
- vimeood
Current Sea
This environmental thriller follows investigative journalist Matt Blomberg and ocean activist Paul Ferber in their dangerous efforts to create a marine conservation area and combat the relentless tide of illegal fishing.
Dark Waters
- amazon
- youtube
- itunes
Dark Waters
An attorney risks his career and family to uncover a dark secret hidden by one of the world’s largest corporations and to bring justice to a community dangerously exposed for decades to deadly chemicals.
Death of a Species
- youtube
Death of a Species
Snails in Hawaii are disappearing at a faster rate than any other animal on the planet. Meet the scientists fighting for their survival.
Detroit Hives
- vimeo
Detroit Hives
Tim Paule and Nicole Lindsey are a young couple who run an urban bee farm in East Detroit to create opportunities for young Detroit natives to overcome adversity.
Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy
- amazon
Diana Kennedy: Nothing Fancy
Offers a candid look into the world of 92-year-old British chef and cookbook author Diana Kennedy, widely regarded as the world's authority on Mexican cuisine
Dispatches from the Gulf 3: Ten Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- vimeo
Dispatches from the Gulf 3: Ten Years After the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Has the Gulf of Mexico recovered from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?
The Dog Doc
- amazon
The Dog Doc
Attracting four-legged patients from around the world, Dr. Goldstein's practice, Smith Ridge Veterinary Center, provides holistic treatment for animals after other vets have given up hope.
The Dolphins of Barataria Bay
- vimeo
The Dolphins of Barataria Bay
The salt marshes and mangroves of Louisiana's Barataria Bay are fertile nesting grounds and nurseries for birds and fish. Despite being hit hard by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout, these waters teem with hundreds of species of marine animals.
Earth
- amazon
Earth
Several billion tons of earth are moved annually by humans -- with shovels, excavators, or dynamite. Nikolaus Geyrhalter observes people in mines, in quarries, and at large construction sites, engaged in a constant struggle to take possession of the planet.
Eyes In The Forest
- vimeo
Eyes In The Forest
The Amazon was the first victim of the peace process in Colombia. Since the demobilization of the FARC guerilla group in 2017, deforestation rates have spiked by more than 40 percent as illegal loggers exploit the power vacuum left behind by the rebels.
Fantastic Fungi
- vimeood
Fantastic Fungi
This consciousness-shifting film takes us on an immersive journey through time and scale into the magical earth beneath our feet, which houses an underground network that can heal and save our planet.
Farmscape Ecology
- vimeo
Farmscape Ecology
Farming is ever-evolving. Today, when we think about what’s to come next for farmers, a key question is, “How do we produce food and still maintain a livelihood for farmers, while respecting the needs of other organisms with which we share the land?"
Forgotten But Not Gone: The Pacific Fisher
- vimeo
Forgotten But Not Gone: The Pacific Fisher
Discover a world of drugs, the timber industry, and a controversial decision not to list Pacific fisher under the Endangered Species Act. This story pulls back the veil on the lead-up to that surprise decision and what it means for the future of the Pacific fisher.
From Kurils With Love
- youtube
From Kurils With Love
A scrappy Russian marine mammal biologist unexpectedly hitchhikes aboard a boat filled with adventure junkies.
The Game Changers
- netflix
- amazon
- itunes
The Game Changers
The world of an Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor is turned upside down when a group of world-renowned athletes and scientists demonstrate that most of what he had been taught about protein was a lie.
Gather
- amazon
Gather
Follows the stories of natives on the frontlines of a growing movement to re connect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide.
Glen Canyon Rediscovered
- youtube
Glen Canyon Rediscovered
Glen Canyon Rediscovered chronicles a 350-mile, sea-kayak-based journey to the remote and lost wonders of Glen Canyon, the “place no one knew.” As a result…
Golden
- youtube
Golden
Peering out her tall bedroom windows at the highway below, Caitlin Davis dreamed of life as an ecologist. When she saw mountains for the first time on a backpacking trip after college, her fate was sealed.
The Golden Lion Tamarins of Poco Das Antas
- vimeo
The Golden Lion Tamarins of Poco Das Antas
The golden lion tamarin becomes a beacon of hope for the Atlantic Forest habitat in Brazil, as conservationists continue a more than 30-year effort to save the species by connecting its fragmented habitat with a wildlife bridge.
Pacha Kuti: The Golden Path
- vimeo
Pacha Kuti: The Golden Path
When Arnold returns to his native community in the Peruvian Amazon after living in the urban world, he remembers the stories told to him by his grandfather and the great importance of maintaining balance with the jungle.
Green Gold?
- vimeo
Green Gold?
As the global demand for the super food avocados has soared, Chile has become the world's third-largest exporter of avocados.
The Heartbeat
- youtube
The Heartbeat
In Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, salmon is culturally and economically significant. The Heartbeat tells the story of how the landscape is connected to salmon and salmon connected to people. Produced by Smithsonian Global.
The Hidden Kingdoms of China
- disney
- amazon
The Hidden Kingdoms of China
China is the world’s most populated country with more than 1.4 billion people inhabiting its vast and extreme wild lands alongside creatures seen nowhere else in the world. Some of its secrets are still undiscovered…until now.
Homecoming: Journey to Limuw
- youtube
Homecoming: Journey to Limuw
Each year the Chumash people take an annual journey back to their historical village site on Limuw, now present day Santa Cruz Island.
Honeyland
- hulu
- amazon
- youtube
Honeyland
The last in a long line of wild beekeepers, eking out a living farming honey in small batches to be sold in the closest city -- a mere four hours' walk away.
In Brazil, Fires and Deforestation Threaten Amazon Species’ Survival
- youtube
In Brazil, Fires and Deforestation Threaten Amazon Species’ Survival
South America's Amazon rainforest is home to a remarkable diversity of animal and plant life. But record-breaking forest fires in 2019 and ongoing deforestation is putting many of the Amazon's original inhabitants at risk.
In Dry Water
- misc
In Dry Water
Adama and Adja have a problem on their hands. Their country, Senegal, is running out of fish. As foreign trawlers and climate change cripple their stocks, the friends face a choice: Stay or follow the same trail as the fish.
Indigenous Communities Under Siege in Rondon’s Land
- youtube
Indigenous Communities Under Siege in Rondon’s Land
In Rondônia, Brazil, theft of wood, land grabbing in protected areas, and threats to Indigenous leaderships are commonplace. The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau Indigenous territory is under constant…
Inland Sea (Minatomachi)
- misc
Inland Sea (Minatomachi)
In Ushimado, a small village in Seto Inland Sea, Japan, Wai-chan, at the age of 86, still fishes alone on a small boat to make his living, dreaming about retirement.
Isla de Plastico (Plastic Island)
- youtube
Isla de Plastico (Plastic Island)
Exposes the reality of garbage, plastic, and pollution in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Jane Goodall: The Hope
- disney
- misc
Jane Goodall: The Hope
Jane Goodall: The Hope celebrates the vast legacy of Dr. Jane Goodall’s four decades of advocacy work for chimpanzees and depicts the next chapter for generations to come.
Kumik and the Glacier
- vimeo
Kumik and the Glacier
Meme Falchung, the oldest person in Kumik (a hillside community in northwest India), has watched through the years as the glacier above his village melts away.
Last Call For The Bayou
- misc
Last Call For The Bayou
Louisiana's Delta is a veritable bounty of rich estuarine life, supporting a robust commercial fishing industry, fertile oil fields, millions of migrating waterfowl, and at the heart of it all, the mighty Mississippi.
The Last Herd
- youtube
The Last Herd
In the contiguous United States, wild bison are no longer free-roaming. With low natural mortality rates, the few wild herds that do exist are annually culled or fenced in to control their population.
Last Wild Places: American Prairie Reserve
- youtube
Last Wild Places: American Prairie Reserve
The American Prairie Reserve is assembling land in northern Montana, with the goal of creating a seamless 3.5 million acre grassland habitat. When they reintroduce bison to the landscape, both the ecosystem and local people benefit.
Last Wild Places: Gorongosa
- youtube
Last Wild Places: Gorongosa
For 15 years, Mozambique was engulfed in a brutal civil war that devastated human and wildlife populations alike. Now, in part by focusing on empowering and educating women, Gorongosa National Park has become a model of successful conservation efforts.
Last Wild Places: Majete
- youtube
Last Wild Places: Majete
When Tizola Moyo started as a ranger in 1993, Majete Wildlife Reserve was devoid of any wildlife. Now, with the help of the park’s rangers and community collaboration, it's flourishing.
Legacy
- youtube