Honoring the Life & Legacy of James Redford
October 16th marked the fourth anniversary of the passing of our beloved cofounder, James Redford, who was no stranger to living with uncertainty. As our country moves into a time of great uncertainty, in a remarkably divisive moment, these simple yet profound words shared by James fill us with a vision of unity and connection:
“We don’t have to have the same motivations to want the same outcomes.”
As an organization working relentlessly to expand, strengthen, and reimagine the environmental movement, this sentiment anchors us in a place of inherent inclusivity, and respect for our individual humanity and the diversity of experience that we each hold. It also allows us to assume that every person wants clean water, food, air, and land, and healthy environments to live and thrive in. Even if our ideas of how to get there are wildly different.
We hold steadfast to the proof of progress and hope exhibited by leaders like James Redford and many others — including ourselves — who are committed to working towards the equitable future we all see and know is worth advocating for.
Meet our 2024-25 Redford Center Grantee Cohort
Highlighting narratives that honor ancestors, safeguard the present, and reimagine the future, The Redford Center’s latest Grantee cohort proves that every story is a climate story waiting to be told.
Join us in celebrating The Redford Center’s 2024-25 Grantee cohort consisting of thirteen film projects selected from a bi-annual open call that yielded 500 applicant projects from 67 different countries featuring cross-cutting environmental stories.
Get inspired and learn more about the films, filmmakers, and Redford Center Grants Advisors behind the latest climate justice stories and solutions at the link below.
Hannah Abuzaineh Appointed Co-Chair
Congratulations to board member Hannah Abuzaineh on being appointed co-chair of our Redford Center Board of Directors.
“I am honored to accept the nomination as co-chair of The Redford Center Board of Directors. Now, more than ever, we need stories that nurture our shared humanity, inspire a profound love and respect for our natural world, and engage more people in a collective narrative of action for the planet. The Redford Center, in partnership with those at the frontlines of the climate crisis and its solutions, is actively contributing to the cultural impact we need to meet this moment. I am excited to deepen my involvement and help drive this vital work forward with the team and this incredible community.”
— Hannah Abuzaineh
Films That Move: Capturing Complexity in Environmental Storytelling
We’d like to thank everyone who joined our October Films That Move special virtual event presented in collaboration with DC Environmental Film Festival (DCEFF): Capturing Complexity in Environmental Storytelling featuring Impossible Town directors, Meg Griffiths and Scott Faris, former West Virginia State Health Officer Dr. Ayne Amjad, Professor of Environmental Ethics Cara Greene, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Involvement Coordinator Lisa Trakis.
Our panelists discussed working with rural Appalachian communities, mobilizing local communities, and Impossible Town, a film that chronicles Dr. Amjad’s audacious plan to relocate a southern WV community that has been exposed to carcinogenic chemicals. If you did not get a chance to tune in live, you can click the link below to watch our panel.
Films That Move Presents: Planetwalker
We’re excited to share that Redford Center supported film, Planetwalker directed by Dominic Gill and Nadia Gill will be the featured film for the month of November in our Films That Move Series.
About the Film:
In 1971 John Francis, known the world over as ‘Planetwalker,’ witnessed an oil tanker collision in the San Francisco Bay. The sight of oiled birds on the shoreline caused him to give up motorized transport and rely solely on his own two feet. Months after that he took a vow of silence convinced that listening rather than adding fuel to any fire was the way ahead.
He didn’t talk, but he kept on walking clear across the country and back again. During the next seventeen silent years he listened and studied the world around him.
Community Updates
2025 BAVC MediaMaker Fellowship Opportunity
IndieWire’s Inaugural Future of Filmmaking Summit
‘Vow of Silence’ Hulu Premiere
About:
An unprecedented investigation into the murder of Indigenous Activist Annie Mae Aquash becomes a critical focus in examining the continuing fight for Indigenous sovereignty as well as effects of centuries of colonization on Indigenous women and girls.
About The Redford Center
Co-founded in 2005 by activists and filmmakers Robert Redford and James Redford, The Redford Center is a nonprofit that advances environmental solutions through the power of stories that move. As one of the only US-based nonprofits solely dedicated to environmental impact filmmaking, The Redford Center develops and invests in projects that foster action and strengthen the reach of the grassroots efforts powering the environmental movement. Over the years, The Redford Center has produced three award-winning feature documentaries and more than 40 short films, supported over 150 film and media projects with grants and other services, inspired the creation of 550 student films, and disbursed more than $20 million to environmental film projects, amplifying change-making environmental solutions to millions of people worldwide.