Earth Stories

Earth Stories is a Keele University based environmental film festival aimed at young filmmakers up to the age of 25. The festival is a student-led initiative that provides a platform for students and young filmmakers from across the world to showcase their filmmaking talent. The event is managed by students from across the university and supported by staff from across academic disciplines. The festival will present new and inspirational stories addressing the climate crisis, nature's degradation, and highlight pathways for sustainable futures through human-nature reconnections. This festival was originally funded by former Keele University students through the Alumni Keele Key Fund. 

For information regarding our 2026 festival, submission criteria and terms and conditions, see here.

Earth Stories Festival Launches Poetry Film Category

The Earth Stories Film Festival is calling for entries to a brand-new category dedicated to poetry and spoken word, offering filmmakers and poets a platform to explore environmental themes through lyrical cinema.

The "Poetry in Motion" category requires submissions to be short films where the spoken word poem or lyrical text serves as the central narrative and aesthetic force. Visual and auditory elements must work in service of the text, creating a unified cinematic poem that speaks to ecology, climate justice, or humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Audio description is strongly encouraged, particularly for works that rely heavily on visual metaphor, ensuring the art reaches diverse audiences. Each film submitted must include accurate English subtitles for all spoken words. The films must not exceed eight minutes in length, including credits, which demands concision and impact.

Submissions require a brief statement explaining the poem's inspiration and its connection to the festival’s core values. All rights to the poem and performances must be secured. Shortlisted films will be included in the 2027 awards ceremony. Full guidelines are available on the Earth Stories Film Festival website.

Earth Stories introduces a new category that puts people with a disability at the heart of climate storytelling.

The Earth Stories Film Festival has launched a groundbreaking new submission category, placing disabled filmmakers and the Social Model of Disability at the centre of the climate conversation. The initiative, designed to champion authentic creative leadership, invites films that explore the intersection of disability, environmental justice, and sustainability.

The category is built on the principle of "Nothing About Us Without Us." To be eligible, a disabled person must occupy a lead creative role, such as Director or Writer, or the project must demonstrate substantial, credited collaboration with disabled artists. This ensures that narratives surrounding disability and the environment are steered by those with lived experience.

To foster equity, the primary age limit is under 25. However, disabled filmmakers who have faced significant career breaks due to disability-related barriers are eligible up to the age of 35.

Accessibility is at the heart of the festival, so all entries must include accurate subtitles in English. We welcome integrated sign language, creative sound design, and non-traditional narrative structures that engage a sensory-diverse audience.

With a maximum film screening ten minutes, the category is open to films that challenge conventions and put disabled leadership at the forefront of environmental storytelling. The final and most current rules are available on the official Earth Stories Film Festival website

Organisers

Director - Katherine Chapman
Assistant Director - Anushka Kabboor
Community Co-ordinator and Founding Member - Aaliyah Gibbings-Gardner
Communications Lead - Millie Tynan
Marketing and Promotional Officer - Holly Martella
Technical Lead - Matthew Ashley
Technical Lead - Joseph McLeod
Chair of the Senior Judging panel - Amelia Walton
Founding Member and Academic Lead - James McAteer

Resource packs

Download the Earth Stories Film Festival Resource Pack for lesson plans and activity sheets inspired by films from the 2023 festival. Designed to align with the UK national curriculum, these resources support engaging, sustainability-focused learning.

If you use the pack, please take a moment to complete the short feedback form included.