by FilmInk Staff
Sunday 25 October – Sunday 8 November, 2026
Melbourne’s premiere showcase of environmental cinema, Environmental Film Festival returns for 2026, screening more than 20 films from around the world from Sunday 25 October to Sunday 8 November.
Presented by Environmental Films Australia, a volunteer-run not-for-profit that’s been part of the city’s arts landscape since 2010, the program includes feature documentaries, shorts, experimental cine-art, talks, events and, of course, the annual festival litter-pick.
With cost-of-living pressure increasing, the far right on the rise, and our rights to peaceful protest being eroded, climate change and our connection with the planet are seemingly being left at the wayside.
So, on the 20th anniversary of Al Gore’s urgent warning in An Inconvenient Truth, this year’s theme is getting serious, with a simple yet stirring call out: Who Cares?
And the program responds with a Salena Godden-inspired punch: pessimism is for lightweights.
Audiences can expect rousing stories of communities taking daring stands against unbeatable odds, eye-opening reflections on the power of care and kindness, intimate accounts of responsibility, grief, conservation and custodianship, and heart-tugging animations to remind us of our interconnection with flora, fauna and the more-than-human world.
As always, the festival goes beyond the screen.
Events include an activism-focused panel discussion asking ‘Is it a Crime to Care?’, a special event at Footscray’s Trocadero Projects exploring how ‘The Future Cares’ with the filmmakers behind 7 Seasons, and an invitation to say ‘I Don’t Care about the Cup’ by taking part it in a community litterpick on the Melbourne Cup Public Holiday, in partnership with multicultural queer environmental group Lalala Outpick.
While the festival formally closes with the ‘We EFF’ing Care’ get-together on Saturday 7 November, the activity doesn’t end there; the team recognise the importance of self-care and that in a time where life can feel overwhelming, sometimes we all just need to relax with a Hollywood popcorn-fest.
And so, on Sunday 8 November, the day after the festival, the team will run a special session of their monthly ‘Enviro Film Club’ spotlighting the Jake Gyllenhaal 2004 disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow.
The program will take place at Palace Kino, Champagne Video Bar, Trocadero Projects and Queen Victoria Women’s Centre across 25 October – 8 November.
Check out the full listings at: environmentalfilms.org.au/eff26
Passes
Full Festival: $116
Palace Kino Pass: $66
Queen Victoria Women’s Centre Pass: $36
Champagne Video Pass: $36
Single Sessions
Palace Kino: $26
Champagne Video Bar: $16
Queen Victoria Women’s Centre: $16
‘We EFF’ing Care’ Party: $6
Trocadero: Pay As You Feel Fundraiser for Just Futures Collab – the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island-led giving circle activating resources for climate justice
Litterpick: Free
Environmental Film Festival 2026 is brought to you by Environmental Films Australia, in partnership with Queen Victoria Women’s Centre and Ironbark Films, and is supported by Science Gallery, Trocadero Projects, Palace Kino and Champagne Video Bar.
