The Fungi Film Fest is something I only discovered recently. Launched in 2020, it’s the world’s only film festival dedicated to the beauty, weirdness, and human influences of mushrooms, lichens, and microfungi.
The Fungi Film Fest is a unique celebration of both film and the often-overlooked magical world of fungi.
This festival is powered by mycologists, filmmakers, and fungi enthusiasts to explore our relationships with fungi, and nature, but through a cinematic lens.
Peeking Into The Mycelial Network
The Fungi Film Fest is not your average film festival. It merges science, art, and storytelling.
From documentaries and animations to experimental films and fictional narratives, each story, visual and essence is more fascinating than the last.
Fungi, which include yeasts, moulds, and mushrooms, are crucial to Earth’s ecosystems and are also known as the 3rd Kingdom. They decompose organic matter, recycle nutrients, and form symbiotic relationships with plants.
Yet, despite their vital contribution to life on earth, fungi often remain in the shadows of our collective consciousness.
This film festival shines a spotlight on these incredible organisms. Films that educate us, entertain us and fuel the interest needed to encourage more scientific study.
How It Started
The Fungi Film Fest was conceived by a group of mycologists and filmmakers who wanted to raise awareness about the ecological and cultural significance of fungi.
The inaugural festival in 2020 was held in a small community centre in Portland, Oregon.
It quickly gained popularity and just a few years later, it now attracts attendees and participants from all over the world, including scientists, artists, and environmentalists.
How To Watch
If you are in Portland, Oregon you can attend in person. Otherwise, you can have a look at their Facebook Page and/or Vimeo page for trailers of previously featured films.
The films are only available for a limited time so be sure to sign up for their newsletter and stay up to date.
Check out this Instagram post of one of their previously featured films to get a sense of what you can expect.
View this post on Instagram
Highlights of the Festival
- Diverse Film Selections: From documentaries providing an in-depth look at fungal biology and ecology, coupled with animations and fictional narratives that use fungi as metaphors for various aspects of human experience.
- Expert Panels and Discussions: One of the hallmarks of the Fungi Film Fest is its expert panels and Q&A sessions. Events like these bring together filmmakers, scientists, and audience members to discuss research in mycology, the environmental impact of fungi, the creative process behind the films, and much more.
- Workshops and Interactive Exhibits: The festival also features workshops and interactive exhibits like mushroom foraging excursions to fungal cultivation workshops. These interactive activities allow attendees to engage with fungi in a hands-on way
- Community Engagement: Fungi are all about community and this film festival is no different. It collaborates with local organizations and schools to promote mycological education and environmental awareness by also encouraging community members to submit their fungi-themed films.
Why You Should Attend
Anyone who knows anything at all knows that the more we know, the more we realise how much more there is to know, you know?
My point?
This festival is a great opportunity to get your creative juices flowing by submitting something. This festival is a great opportunity to meet other fungi enthusiasts and industry experts. It’s an epic opportunity to learn something you never knew before.
Basically, you won’t know until you go.
Why You Should Submit Your Film?
What better way to share your testimonial about mushrooms than to create your own visual tribute?
What would happen if we expressed all that mushrooms have done for us?
I encourage you to lean into the neuroplasticity and light up that creativity. Show us and the world how you experience it.
When you do, be sure to share your creation with us. We can’t wait to see it!
Share your stories and anecdotes with us via social channels like our Facebook group or Discord channel.
As always,
Flow strong.
Asha ✨
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