CFF In Focus: Contemporary Currents in Climate Documentary
What does it mean to make cinema in the age of climate crisis? In this series of fireside chats, documentary filmmakers from across the festival line-up share the craft, challenges, and breakthroughs of bringing urgent environmental stories to the screen. From fieldwork on the frontlines to navigating ethics, access, and impact, these filmmakers open a window into the struggles and possibilities of climate cinema today.
Speakers:
Abraham Joffe - Trade Secret
John Feige - Raising Aniya
Nicholas Mihm and Peter Walle - How to Change the World | SAGE
Royal Ramey - Firebreak
Alina Simone - Black Snow
Speaker Bios:
John Fiege
John Fiege (Producer, Director, Cinematographer) is a film director, cinematographer, photographer, and podcaster whose work explores the cultural dimensions of ecological concerns. His award-winning films have played at Hot Docs, SXSW, Big Sky, MoMA, Cannes, and many others, receiving distribution on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Sundance Now, and other platforms. He is a 2024/2025 recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Media Projects Development Grant for his new film about consumption and waste in New York City. He has received numerous other fellowships, grants, and residencies, including from The Redford Center, Doc Society, Austin Film Society, Film Society of Lincoln Center, Princess Grace Foundation, Kodak, and Smithsonian Institution. His film awards include the Silver Heart Award at the Dallas International Film Festival, Best North American Documentary at the Global Visions Festival, and Best Documentary Short at Dallas VideoFest’s DocuFest. He was the director of photography on the Sundance documentary selection, No No: A Dockumentary. He hosts Chrysalis, a podcast about transformation in the face of global ecological crisis. He holds a B.A. from Carleton College, an M.S. in cultural geography and environmental history from The Pennsylvania State University, and an M.F.A. in film production from The University of Texas at Austin, where he also worked as a lecturer. He is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Study and an affiliate of the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York.
Abraham Joffe
Abraham Joffe is an internationally acclaimed director, producer, and cinematographer, renowned for his captivating visuals and compelling storytelling. He has filmed professionally in over 50 countries and across all seven continents. In 2014/15, Abraham produced, directed, and filmed Tales by Light, a six-part television series following the journeys of some of the world’s greatest working photographers. Initially airing on National Geographic in Australia and New Zealand, the series was picked up by Netflix for global distribution in 2016. Across three seasons, Tales by Light has won numerous awards for cinematography, including accolades from the prestigious Australian Cinematographers Society. In 2000, Abraham founded Untitled Film Works, a Sydney-based production company celebrated for its innovative storytelling and use of cutting-edge technology. The company is dedicated to producing films that make a positive impact on the world. In 2017, he was named “Australian Cinematographer of the Year” by the Australian Cinematographers Society, earning the coveted Milli Award for his work on Tales by Light. In 2018, Abraham produced Big Cat Tales, a five-part series that follows the lives of lions, leopards, and cheetahs in Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve. Two seasons were globally distributed by Discovery/Animal Planet. Abraham also produced and directed the Southern Ocean episode of Our Oceans, a four-year landmark Netflix original documentary series narrated by Barack Obama. His episode, widely praised for its breathtaking cinematography and emotional depth, captures life in the planet’s most remote and formidable ocean frontier. The series has been celebrated for bringing fresh perspective and renewed urgency to ocean conservation. Abraham’s feature directorial debut, Trade Secret (2025), is a six-year investigative exposé into the international polar bear fur trade. Filmed across nine countries and executive produced by Oscar-winner Adam McKay, the film reveals how conservation, commerce, and politics collide in ways the public was never meant to see. Premiering at Sheffield DocFest, Trade Secret has already drawn early comparisons to landmark environmental films such as Blackfish and The Cove. Abraham continues to be drawn to stories that explore the complex relationship between people and the natural world.
Nicholas Mihm
Nicholas is an Emmy nominated director and producer. His feature documentary In the Dark of the Valley was acquired by MSNBC and was nominated for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary at the 43rd annual News & Documentary Emmy Awards in 2022. He directed the short film, Bubjan, which screened at major festivals such as DOC NYC, Big Sky Doc Film Festival, and DC/DOX; and has won awards at several others. Nicholas is currently a director and co-executive producer on the 10-part episodic documentary series, How To Change the World, with Religion of Sports and World Within Studios.
Peter Walle
Peter Walle is the Director of Partnerships at the Honnold Foundation, where he's focused on building a coalition of support for community-led solar energy solutions at scale. From helping HF's grantee partners share stories about their work, to inspiring the foundation's community of supporters to continue growing their collective impact, Peter helps grassroots leaders share their stories, and urges audiences to learn from and act on solutions that matter.
Royal Ramey
Royal Ramey is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of FFRP. As the CEO, Ramey is responsible for overseeing the administration, programs, and delivery of the strategic plan of the organization. Ramey leads FFRP's fundraising, marketing, and outreach efforts. Ramey grew up in San Fernando Valley, CA, and met FFRP Co-Founder, Brandon Smith later in life while incarcerated at the Bautista Adult Conservation ("Fire") Camp in Riverside County. After his release, Ramey spent eleven months pursuing a professional career in fire. Despite the extensive barriers, Ramey finally received an opportunity to join the Mojave Greens (US Forest Service) crew in San Bernardino, CA. Ramey has spent more than ten years as a wildland firefighter in the US Forest Service, CAL FIRE, and, now with the Buffalo Handcrew--FFRP's own private fire department. He is intensely aware of what is needed to train individuals to excel at an advanced level within the forestry and fire sector. Ramey co-founded FFRP to help create this comprehensive pathway for individuals just like him that are coming home from prison, and are seeking opportunties to be a professional firefighter. In 2022, Ramey received a Pardon from Governor Newsom on behalf of the State of California. He is a 2023 Obama Leaders USA Program Participant & 2024 TED Fellow.
Alina Simone
Alina Simone (Director/DP/Producer) is a Ukrainian-born journalist and award-winning filmmaker whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Guardian Long Read, The Atlantic and NPR, among many others. In 2024, her debut documentary, Black Snow, was awarded the FACT Award for best investigative documentary at CPH:DOX, the Sustainable Future Award at the Sydney Film Festival and the Cinema Eye Spotlight Award. Simone is a 2025 Guggenheim fellow and the recipient of an NYSCA/NYFA Film Fellowship. Black Snow is her first film.
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