ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Bohemian Environmental Justice Film Festival (BEFF) will be the first festival focused on the stories of people and communities on the front lines of the fight against environmental catastrophe. There is an increasing awareness of the intersection between people’s lives and the consequences of environmental breakdown. Around the world, filmmakers are telling the story of struggle and survival in the face of the converging environmental crises we face.
BEFF will be an outdoor film festival taking place between the 8th -11th of September 2022 at Dalymount Park, the home of Bohemian Football Club on the north side of Dublin. The festival will bring together Irish and international filmmakers, storytellers, activists and decision-makers for a special weekend of screenings and events that will advance understanding of the environmental injustices faced by communities in Ireland and worldwide and the prospects for reparation
FESTIVAL PARTNERS
Bohemian Climate Cooperative
In 2021, Bohemians became the first football club in the world to initiate a strand of work on climate justice. This work aims to bring vital messages about climate change and climate action to football fans and the broader community in an engaging and empowering manner.
Oatly
The Oatly Climate/Culture Lab pioneers projects that help Oatly define a radically better future. Bohemian FC are delighted to partner with the Oatly Climate/Culture Lab to bring the festival to life and to platform and celebrate these films of courage, solidarity, hope and anguish in the age of the Anthropocene and biodiversity collapse.
Happenings
Happenings bring people together in public space through inspirational, low impact and socially responsible events, at a low cost to people and environment
MEET THE BEFF TEAM
SEÁN MCCABE
FESTIVAL DIRECTOR
Seán is the Climate Justice Officer with Bohemians – a first in the world of football. In this role, he is working with the club to design climate responses that can be led by, and empower, the club’s fans and their communities. He also works with the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative – a global coalition of organisations working to secure children’s right to a safe and healthy environment. Previously he worked with the former President of Ireland, Mary Robinson, in seeking to advance climate justice within the UN system. Following that, he established the Climate Justice Centre at the Irish Think-tank for Action on Social Change (TASC).
KATE CUNNINGHAM
PROGRAMME MANAGER
Kate is an arts and festival manager. Previously Head of Development and Marketing at Dublin International Film Festival she has worked on film, theatre and festivals around Ireland, the UK and Europe.
Kate first thought about the environmental message of film after watching The China Syndrome and believes that stories enable us to imagine a better, more ambitious, future. She extends a standing invitation to Jane Fonda as a BEFF Ambassador.
MARION WEYMES
FESTIVAL COORDINATOR
Marion is a climate consultant, documentary fan and Bohs supporter. She works with government and public sector organisations to deliver and enable climate action through community funding programmes, programme design and public consultation.
After watching Planet Earth in the 2000’s, Marion started studying Film & Television Production so she could learn to tell stories about the environment. Soon realising she had no interest (or ability) in cameras and microphones, she studied Earth Science and Sustainable Development instead, so she could play a different role in telling these stories and in tackling the climate crisis.
Richard Zimmermann
FESTIVAL PROGRAMMER
Richard is a film programmer who previously programmed films for young audiences at the Irish Film Institute in their Education team for five years. He is currently studying a MSc in Climate Change, and is a passionate believer in the concept of ‘degrowth’ in order to avert environmental catastrophe.
He also believes, to paraphrase Roger Ebert, that films are “empathy machines”, and are vital in helping us to understand how people are affected, and to share stories of resistance and solutions.
LAURA MCCORMACK
EVENTS PROGRAMMER
Kiki Drost
EVENT ASSISTANT