Climate Writer's Room: CFF X Film Independent Writers Workshop
We need more, better climate stories! But what makes a climate story “better”? The Climate Film Fest has partnered with Film Independent’s Climate Entertainment Initiative to present the CFF Climate Writer’s Room—a creative space for screenwriters, filmmakers, and storytellers—to dig into what it means to shift the climate narrative for the better. We’ll explore a treasure trove of fresh, entertaining, creatively rich story ideas and themes, then reimagine a real life climate disaster as a portfolio of stories Hollywood might actually want to tell.
About the Workshop Leader:
Kristen Schlott is a creative strategist who cares deeply about people and our planet. With her company, Plot Shift Media, she has partnered with Film Independent to develop the Climate Entertainment Initiative, a program that supports independent artists and creators developing original climate stories. She also consults media and advocacy organizations, including the UN Live’s Sounds Right Program, to create campaigns that reach new audiences on climate and conservation issues. She is a member of Impact Partners Film and has EP’d a handful of docs including The White House Effect (2024).
About Film Independent:
Film Independent is a nonprofit arts organization that has championed creative independence in visual storytelling and fostered an inclusive community of artists and audiences for over 40 years. In addition to producing the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the organization supports filmmakers worldwide through filmmaker Labs, grants, mentorship programs like Project Involve, weekly education events, fellowships, and the year-round screening series Film Independent Presents. Learn more or become a Member at filmindependent.org.
Film Independent and Plot Shift Media have partnered to support independent artists exploring a just and equitable climate future through innovative storytelling with the Climate Entertainment Initiative, offering two $25,000 grants to support climate-focused storytelling. The Climate Entertainment Development Grant supports filmmakers in the Screenwriting Lab or Fast Track, while the Climate Entertainment Commissioning Grant is awarded to one Project Involve writer developing a new climate-themed feature. Both grants prioritize entertaining, character-driven stories that spark possibility around climate solutions.
This event has limited capacity. Admission will be first come, first served — we encourage early arrival to guarantee your spot.
By attending, you consent to being photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded. Your entry constitutes your consent to such photography, filming, and/or recording and to any use, in any and all media, in perpetuity, of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever in connection with the event.