Film still from Between Moon Tides (2025).
Join Riverside Park Conservancy and the Climate Film Festival on Thursday, September 3, from 7:30–9:30 PM at the W 102nd Street Field House for a special evening of short films exploring our changing climate, the places we call home, and the people working to protect them.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmakers and featured participants, moderated by Whitney Dearden, Director of Public Programming at Riverside Park Conservancy. Please RSVP as space is limited.
The evening’s five short films explore environmental stories both close to home and around the world — from New Yorkers building community resilience in Coney Island to citizen scientists working to protect a threatened saltmarsh bird in coastal New England. Together, they highlight the many ways people are responding to a changing climate while rethinking how we care for the landscapes and wildlife around us.
(2026)
Snow Bears
Directed by Emmy Award-winning science documentary filmmaker Emily Driscoll, Snow Bears follows artist Heide Hatry, known as “Snow Banksy,” as she creates polar bears out of snow to draw attention to a warming world. What begins as a solitary pandemic project grows into a community climate action, inspiring more than 100 New Yorkers to build snow bears alongside her in Central Park.
(2023)
Where It Floods: Planting Hope in Coney Island
Where It Floods follows New York City students participating in the National Wildlife Federation’s Resilient Schools and Communities program. The film explores how students, educators, local residents, and community partners are working together to build climate resilience in Coney Island.
(2026)
A Fragile Paradise
The directorial debut of Eliza Mitnick, A Fragile Paradise looks at the people who care for Fire Island year-round. Through the stories of a landscaper protecting fragile dunes, a gardener creating habitat for monarch butterflies, and longtime shopkeepers preserving a community institution, the film considers the many ways people sustain the places they call home.
(2025)
Between Moon Tides
Directed by Jason Jaacks, Between Moon Tides follows an intergenerational group of citizen scientists working to save the Saltmarsh Sparrow from extinction. As rising sea levels threaten the bird’s habitat, the film explores the bonds formed between three retirees and a young intern as they work together in the saltmarsh.
Film details coming soon…
Refuge Keepers
After the films, filmmakers and featured participants will join a conversation about the stories behind their work and the people responding to climate change through conservation, education, community action, and storytelling.
About the Climate Film Festival
The Climate Film Festival is a cultural organization with an annual festival, year-round programming, and educational resources in New York City. It was founded in 2023 by a group of passionate climate professionals, artists, and curators. CFF soft-launched in 2023 with a sold-out “First Look” screening and panel event during Climate Week NYC, and it has continued to organize screenings and events with partners throughout the city. The Climate Film Festival (CFF) believes that a visionary, just, and sustainable future is within our grasp. The time to strive for it is now.
Accessibility
The W 102nd Street Field House is wheelchair accessible via the ramp on the north side of the building, where the restrooms are located. Staff will be available to direct patrons as needed.