Houston Green Films Festival

A celebration of cinema, environmental activism and community that brings together powerful stories that inspire action for our planet, this year’s festival unites the best of Houston’s voices with global perspectives. Be moved by inspiring films from the nationally acclaimed Wild and Scenic Film Festival On Tour and our homegrown Wild About Houston film festival, and then join us for a post-screening panel discussion with local environmental experts and advocates.

January 20, 2027

Rice Cinema

Watch the 2026 Trailer
Submit Your Short

A History of the Film Festival

Watch the 2026 Trailer

More information about the Wild & Scenic On Tour portion of the Houston Green Films Festival coming soon!

Submit Your Environmental Short

Wild About Houston: A Green Film Festival welcomes documentaries, narratives, animations and hybrid formats that explore climate change, nature, wildlife, air and water quality, environmental education and resilience in the Houston region. Youth and emerging filmmakers are encouraged to apply. See contest rules. We proudly accept entries on FilmFreeway, the world’s #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests. 

Submission deadline: December 4, 2026

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) is proud to host the sixth Wild About Houston Film Festival at our 2027 Green Film Festival. This homegrown film festival was created to shine a light on the environmental stories, issues, and changemakers shaping the Greater Houston and Gulf Coast region. 

The Green Films Festival features short films that are entertaining, educational, and above all, inspirational. We welcome documentaries, narratives, animations, and hybrid formats that explore climate change, biodiversity, air and water quality, youth education, resilience, or any topic that encourages environmental awareness and stewardship. Our goal is to inspire action, celebrate grassroots leadership, and connect more people with the environmental movement in our region. The program will consist of screenings of the finalists of Wild about Houston and a selection from the nationally recognized Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour plus a few panel discussions.

History of Wild about Houston

CEC’s mission is to foster dialogue, education, and collaboration on environmental issues in the Greater Houston area. After years of hosting the nationally recognized Wild & Scenic Film Festival On Tour, CEC recognized a need to center local environmental voices. Wild About Houston fills that gap, highlighting the work of CEC member organizations and community storytellers. Through Wild About Houston, CEC hopes to grow public understanding of environmental issues and strengthen the community of advocates, artists, and residents working toward a healthier future.

  1. Tap into the power of film as a creative medium to deepen public understanding of nature, climate, and sustainability

  2. Broaden participation in the environmental movement by showcasing diverse, locally rooted artistic voices and stories that connect with audiences who aren’t usually engaged or already committed to sustainable living.

  3. Foster youth engagement in the environment and creative development (STEAM)

Submission Portal Open: October 12, 2026

Submission Deadline: December 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m. CT

Notification of Selection: January 20, 2027

Festival Date: February 20, 2027 at Rice Cinema, Houston, Texas

Filmmakers may submit an entry in one of the following categories:

  • Environmental Shorts: Short film with an environmental theme including documentaries, animation and narratives.  
  • Student Filmmaker Shorts: Any short film—documentary, animation or narrative—created by a filmmaker between the ages of 14-22, focusing on local environmental themes.

We invite you to submit a film for consideration to the Wild About Houston Film Contest. Films must meet the following criteria:

  • Must be specific to the environment in the Houston/Gulf Coast Region 
  • Must have been created less than 2 years ago.
  • Must either be in the English language or have English subtitles (to the extent it contains dialogue or text). Songs in a foreign language should also have subtitles, especially when the lyrics are germane to the plot or message.
  • Must have a run time of seven minutes or less
  • Must be suitable for the big screen
  • Must be suitable for a public audience 
  • Must not include discriminatory, excessively graphic or overtly partisan political content.

 

Filmmakers may only submit one original work. Once you have submitted a work, it will not be returned. 

If your submission is selected as a Finalist (as defined below), you must provide a high-resolution version upon CEC’s request. 

Submissions may be disqualified at any time for non-compliance with these official rules. CEC makes the final determination as to which submissions are eligible to take part in this Competition.

All submissions must be sent through FilmFreeway. There is $1 USD fee to enter a film to the contest.

If your film is selected as a finalist, you’ll receive:

  • All-Access Passes for you and a guest
  • A screening of your film on the big screen during the Green Films Festival
  • Marketing support through CEC’s website, social media, and weekly newsletter reaching over 5,000 subscribers

Top films will be recognized with awards in the following categories:

  • Best Environmental Short
  • Best Student Filmmaker Short
  • Audience Favorite Award 

Awardees will receive an award certificate, recognition on the CEC website, social media and newsletter. 

If you have any questions, please contact us at info@cechouston.org or 713-524-4CEC.

Ticket information coming soon!

Support the Festival

Please support our efforts to enrich, educate and inspire our Houston community. Unfortunately, ticket sales alone do not cover the cost of producing the festival. We need your help to underwrite these costs. Your sponsorship helps us keep ticket prices affordable, provide free community access tickets and give a platform to local filmmakers, especially students and emerging talent. Help us grow this celebration of art and advocacy by becoming a sponsor today. Email amanda.kuhl@cechouston.org for sponsorship information.

The Houston Green Film Series was launched in 2010 by a coalition of nonprofit organizations to bring awareness to environmental causes through the visual arts. This included the annual screening of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival on Tour – a selection of international, award-winning films – as part of the Wild About Houston: A Green Film Festival featuring short, local, environmental films. CEC invited local organizations and filmmakers to share films that focused on environmental stories and how to make a difference in the Houston area.

Our Past Screenings include:

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.