EnviroFest was born out of a shared passion to protect the natural world and the environment on which all our lives depend, and which our children will inherit. Yet we come from different perspectives: Leila is an expert in the world of sustainability whilst Rebecca is driven to use film to catalyse societal change. Together we have created a programme to bridge divides and inspire.
Over the past 15 years, Rebecca has observed the rise of environmental documentaries and their ability to engage audiences, yet even award winning films are rarely seen outside of the countries in which they are produced. These stories with global significance reach only national audiences.
At the same time Leila observed that development agencies struggle to have an impact beyond the direct reach of their projects, rarely accessing wider communities with ideas and expertise. Improving the efficacy of development projects became a driving force.
EnviroFest International was born out of this confluence of experiences and interests – leveraging exciting and entertaining documentary films as a platform to engage people right across society on the specific issues faced by their communities, and to provide access to the expertise to act.