Event Recap: DCEFF 2026 Preview Event

The DC Environmental Film Festival (DCEFF) returns March 19–28, 2026—and for the first time, the Earth Commons hosted the official Preview Event in partnership with DCEFF at Georgetown University’s Capitol Campus.

The special evening offered guests an exclusive first look at the 34th annual festival. Attendees previewed select award-winning films and highlights from the upcoming lineup, viewed curated film clips, heard exciting festival announcements, and connected with filmmakers, festival organizers, and members of Washington’s vibrant environmental film community.

Under this year’s unifying theme, “Against the Current,” the festival celebrates the activists, artists, journalists, scientists, and storytellers working to defend our planet—often in the face of mounting challenges. The theme calls on audiences to reject cynicism and instead find hope in art, collaboration, and collective action.

Georgetown University Interim Provost Dr. Soyica Diggs Colbert, Ph.D., welcomed guests to the Capitol Campus, underscoring the power of storytelling and scholarship to shape public discourse and inspire meaningful change. Her remarks highlighted the importance of institutions like Georgetown serving as convening spaces where policy, art, science, and community intersect.

In 2025, DCEFF welcomed more than 10,000 attendees across Washington, D.C., with screenings and events held at 20–25 venues throughout the city, including the U.S. Navy Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Since its founding in 1993, the festival has brought together leading journalists, researchers, scholars, and activists to showcase environmental storytelling through film—building bridges between ideas and impact.