Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival (PIF) is an incorporated not-for-profit film festival and registered charitable organization, based in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Ontario, Canada.
History
Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival (PIF) is an incorporated not-for-profit film festival and registered charitable organization, founded in 1999, by Mark Haslam.
PIF is currently run by a volunteer Board of Directors and a small staff including Executive Director, Katherine Bruce, Programs Director, Alessandra Cannito, Programmers Julian Carrington and Lesley Johnson, and Pre-Screeners, Ron Ma, Hui 'Jane' Wang, Gesila Azorbo, Michael John Long, and Gabriela Aguilar.
Planet in Focus operates year-round to produce the annual film festival in October, as well as year round programs such as the Cross Canada Campus Tour, Green School Tours and Eco-Film Lab filmmaking workshop for elementary students.
PIF grants yearly Eco-Hero Awards, and patrons include
David Suzuki
David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at th ...
,
Vandana Shiva
Vandana Shiva (born 5 November 1952) is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate, ecofeminist and anti-globalisation author. Based in Delhi, Shiva has written more than 20 books. She is often referred to as "Gandhi ...
,
Rob Stewart,
Melina Laboucan-Massimo
Melina Laboucan-Massimo (born 1981) is a climate justice and Indigenous rights advocate from the Lubicon Cree community of Little Buffalo in northern Alberta, Canada. Growing up with firsthand experience of the effects of oil and gas drilling o ...
,
Autumn Peltier
Autumn Peltier (born September 27, 2004) is an Anishinaabe Indigenous rights advocate from the Wiikwemkoong First Nation on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, Canada. She was named Chief Water Commissioner for the Aniishnabek Nation in 2019. In 2018, ...
, Ron Finley, Col.
Chris Hadfield
Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, and musician. The first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also serv ...
,
Jennifer Baichwal
Jennifer Baichwal is a Canadian documentary filmmaker, writer and producer.
Biography
Baichwal was born in Montreal, Quebec and raised in Victoria, British Columbia. ,
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
,
Edward Burtynsky
Edward Burtynsky (born February 22, 1955) is a Canadian photographer and artist known for his large format photographs of industrial landscapes. His works depict locations from around the world that represent the increasing development of indust ...
, and
James Balog
James Balog (pronounced ''BAY-log''; born July 15, 1952) sometimes referred to as Jim Balog, is an American photographer whose work explores the relationship between humans and nature. Since the early 1980s, Balog has photographed such subjects ...
, among others.
Award Winners
::Best Canadian Short Film - ''The Pipe Dreams Project'' directed by Faros Des Roches and Ryan Vandecasteyen
::Best Canadian Short Film Honourable Mention - ''Spoke''directed by
Lulu Wei
::Best Canadian Feature Film - ''Occupy Love'' directed by
Velcrow Ripper and produced by Ian Mackenzie and Nova Ami
::Best Canadian Feature Film Honourable Mention - ''Lost Rivers'' directed by Caroline Bacle and produced by Katarina Soukoup
::Best International Short Film - ''HOT & BOTHERED (UK)'' directed by Giannina Lasalvia
::Best International Feature Film - ''Heart of Sky, Heart of Earth'' directed by Frauke Sandig and Eric Black
::The Mark Haslam Award - ''Rainforest: The Limit of Splendour''directed by Richard Boyce
::The Mark Haslam Award Honourable Mention - ''Just Do It!'' directed by Emily James
::The Green Pitch Award - ''Honey For Sale'' directed by Amanda Strong
::The Green Screen Award sponsored by Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund - ''Warehouse 13'', Honorable Mention, ''In Organic We Trust'' directed by Kiplin Pastor2011
Award Winners
::Best Canadian Short Film - ''Nanameskueu (Tremblement de terre)'' directed by Réal Junior Leblanc
::Best Canadian Feature Film - ''Waking the Green Tiger'' directed by Gary Marcuse
::Best International Short Film - ''Carbon for Water'' directed by Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez Abramson
::Best International Feature Film - ''There Once was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho'' directed by
Briar March
::The Mark Haslam Award - ''Keepers of the Water'' directed by Ayelen Liberona
::The Green Pitch Award - ''Carpe Diem'' directed by Charlotte Engel
::The Green Screen Award sponsored by Astral's Harold Greenberg Fund - ''Score: A Hockey Musical'' directed by Avi Federgreen, Honorable Mention, ''Powerful: Energy for Everyone'' directed by David Chernushenko
::Canadian Eco-Hero - Kevin McMahon
::International Eco-Hero -
Ric O'Barry
Toronto Premieres
::''Urban Roots'' directed by Mark MacInnis
::''On Coal River'' directed by Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood
::''La Reine Malade (The Ailing Queen)'' directed by Pascal Sanchez
::''Waseya Dizihin'' directed by Kevin Papatie
::''White Water, Black Gold'' directed by David Lavallee
::''The Clean Bin Project'' directed by Grant Baldwin
::''L'Homme de glace (Ice Philosophy)'' directed by Melanie Carrier and Olivier Higgins
::''There Once was an Island: Te Henua e Nnoho'' directed by Briar March
::''Darwin'' directed by Nick Brandestini
::''Solartaxi: Around the World With the Sun'' directed by Erik Schmitt
::''Waking the Green Tiger'' directed by Gary Marcuse
::''Spoil'' directed by Trip Jennings and Andy Maser
Canadian Premieres
::''Revenge of the Electric Car'' (Opening Night Gala Presentation) directed by Chris Paine
::''
The Whale'' (Closing Night Gala Presentation) directed by Suzanne Chisholm
[
::''Future of Hope'' directed by Henry Bateman
::''Happy People: A Year in the Taiga" directed by ]Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
North American Premieres
::''Up in Smoke'' directed by Adam Wakeling
World Premieres
::''Portrait of Resistance: The Art & Activism of Carole Conde and Karl Beveridge'' directed by Roz Owen[
::''The Past as Future'' directed by Ton van Zantvoort
::''From Chernobyl to Fukushima: A Campaigner's Journey'' directed by Aube Giroux
::''Brick by Brick: The Story of the Evergreen Brickworks'' directed by Catherine Annau][
::''Niger River: A River Under Siege'' directed by Bernice Notenboom
::''Carbon for Water'' directed by Evan Abramson and Carmen Elsa Lopez Abramson
::''On the Line'' directed by Frank Wolf
]
Toronto Premieres
::'' Blue Gold: World Water Wars'' directed by Sam Bozzo
::''Peace with Seals'' directed by Miroslav Novak
::''Boreal Forest Expedition'' directed by Nick and Lindsay Bradford-Ewart
::''Northland: Long Journey'' directed by Edie Steiner
::''Chasing Wild Horses'' directed by Matt Trecartin and John Wesley Chisholm
::''Howser in Peril'' directed by Tom Prior
::''Death in the Forest'' directed by Gordon McLennan
::''Being Innu'' directed by Catherine Mullins
::''Waste = Food'' directed by Rob Van Hattum
::''Addicted to Plastic'' directed by Ian Connacher
::'' Umbrella (film)'' directed by Du Haibin
::''Birth of the Smoked Meat'' directed by Jeanne Pope and Zoe Mapp
::''Tableland'' directed by Craig Noble
::''Papiroflexia'' directed by Jaoquin Baldwin
::''The Poet of Grappa'' directed by Stefano Scarafia
::''Flowers of Rwanda'' directed by David Muñoz
::''Intestines of the Earth'' directed by Barbier Olivier
::''Gimmie Green'' directed by Isaac Brown and Eric Flagg
::''Mama Coco: The Sacred Leaf directed by Felix Atencio''-Gonzales
::''Rallco, a Bad Business'' directed by Nicholas Garcia and Xavier Vasqué
::''Pick me Up'' directed by Andrea Bussman
::''Gates of the Arctic'' directed by Rory Banyard
Canadian Premieres
::''Our Wonderful Nature'' directed by Tomer Eshed
::''Michael Schmidt: Organic Hero or Bioterrorist'' directed by Norman Lofts
::''Heron Pond: A Boardwalk View'' directed by Cade Bursell
::''Eviction'' directed by Terra Schnoor
::''Terra Sacer'' directed by Alberto Guevara, Elysee Nouvet
::''A Massacre Foretold directed by Nick Higgins''
::''The Beggars in Addis'' Arabia directed by Jakob Gottschau
::''Paradise- Three Journeys in this World'' directed by Elina Hirvonen
::''The Sacred Food'' directed by Jack Pettibone Riccobono
::''My Inventions'' directed by Robert Holbrook
::''Global Food: Once Upon a French Fry'' directed by Pierre-Olivier François
::''Land of Writers'' directed by Silvio Ciuccetti
::''Slow Food'' directed by Vanja Ohna
::''Greina'' directed by Villi Hermann
::''On Relations'' directed by Jorge Acebo
::''Roaming Around'' directed by Brigette Bertele
::''Fighting Goliath- Texas Coal Wars'' directed by Mat Hames
Mat Hames is an Emmy-Winning American independent filmmaker known for the PBS and Prime Video documentary series ''Power Trip: the Story of Energy'', as well as his Independent Lens documentaries ''When I Rise'' and ''What Was Ours''. He was knight ...
::''Charcoal Traffic'' directed by Nathan Collett
Nathan Collett is a filmmaker based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Film career Overview
Collett's work focuses on those on the margins of society as well as on environmental issues. He has filmed across the world, including location footage in Somalia and S ...
::''Scarred Lands and Wounded Lives: The Environmental Impact of War'' directed by Alice and Lincoln Day
::''Where Do They Go?'' directed by Julianne Becker
::''The Right to Survive- Turtle Conservation and Fisheries Livelihoods'' directed by Rita Banerji, Shilpi Sharma
::''The Squid Daddy’s Labour Room'' directed by Ke Chin Yuan
::''Today the Hawk Takes One Chick'' directed by Jane Gillooly
::''We Belong to this Country'' directed by Alison Leonard
::''One of the Last'' directed by Paul Zinder
::''Fate of the Lhapa'' directed by Sarah Sifers
::''Sounds of the Seas'' directed by Volker Barth
::''The Last Nomads'' directed by Andrew Gregg
::''Eternal Mash'' directed by Catherine van Campen
::''Journey of a Red Fridge'' directed by Lucian and Natasa Muntean
::''Strange Homeland'' directed by Jens Schanze
::''Boomrang'' directed by Daryoush Gharibzadeh
::'' One Water (documentary)'' directed by Ali Habashi and Sanjeev Chatterjee
::''Justice Now'' directed by Martin O’Brien, Robbie Proctor
::''Alethea'' directed by Petra Holzer, Ethem Ozguven
::''Crossed Wires'' directed by Elida Schogt
::''The Green Dragon'' directed by Caroline Harrison
::''Digital Cemeteries'' directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
Yorgos Avgeropoulos (; born 1971) is a Greek journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the creator of the Greek awarded documentary series ''"Exandas"''.
He was born in Athens in 1971. He has worked for Greek television stations covering news ...
::''Crabs on the Road'' directed by Gabriela Dominguez
::''Atlantis Approaching'' directed by Elizabeth Pollock
::''This Much I Know'' directed by Bridget Hanna
::''A Moment of Clarity'' directed by Sarah Cowhey, Louise Davidson
::''If Man Could Fly'' directed by Yael Kipper Zaretzky
::''Ma’rib'' directed by Rainer Komers
::''Farms Without Farmers'' directed by Jessica Weisberg, Benjamin Thorp Brown
::''The Hunger Season'' directed by Beadie Finzi
::''Are There Still Any Shepherds'' directed by Jorge Pelicano
North American Premieres
::''Begging for Change'' directed by Dave Jones
::''Alchemy'' directed by Eva Bakkeslett
::''Showdown at the Top of the World'' directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
Yorgos Avgeropoulos (; born 1971) is a Greek journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the creator of the Greek awarded documentary series ''"Exandas"''.
He was born in Athens in 1971. He has worked for Greek television stations covering news ...
::''Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines
''Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines'' is a 2007 British documentary film about aerotoxic syndrome directed and produced by former airline captain Tristan Loraine.
Synopsis
This documentary shows that for nearly fifty years, airline passengers and c ...
'' directed by Tristan Loraine
::''49 Words for Snow'' directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
Yorgos Avgeropoulos (; born 1971) is a Greek journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is the creator of the Greek awarded documentary series ''"Exandas"''.
He was born in Athens in 1971. He has worked for Greek television stations covering news ...
World Premieres
::''Driven By Vision'' directed by Michael McNamara
::''The Falldown'' directed by Ben Graeme
::''Tales of a Yellow Bike'' directed by Tina Hahn
::''Soldiers of Peace'' directed by Timothy Wise
::''Breadmakers'' directed by Yasmin Fedda
::''Return to Nepal'' directed by Robert Lang
::''Thirst'' directed by Gail Maurice
See also
* List of environmental film festivals
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Planet In Focus
Environmental film festivals
Film festivals in Toronto
1999 establishments in Ontario