Sustainability

At Movies that Matter, we strive to make a positive contribution to a more sustainable future. We do this by showcasing films that provoke, inspire, and encourage reflection on sustainability issues. We believe that films can not only tell powerful stories but also make an impact on the world around us. However, our commitment to sustainability goes beyond the content of our film programme.

We aim to lead by example, continuously working to reduce our ecological footprint and embed sustainability into all our activities. This process comes with its challenges, and we are not yet where we want to be. We continue to challenge ourselves to improve every day. Organising a festival involves many aspects, and impact is made in various areas: from choosing to collaborate with local and sustainable businesses and providing vegetarian meals for the crew, to using recycled materials for decoration and implementing sustainable practices in our promotional campaigns.

Together with film festivals CineKid, IDFA, IFFR, and NFF, we are working on developing a certification for film festivals that defines what it means to be a sustainable film festival. We aim to demonstrate what is required to truly make a difference and to help make the entire film festival sector greener and fairer.

To achieve our sustainability goals, we use the R-framework (R-ladder in Dutch), a strategy for circular business practices set by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Through this, we aim to make not only our film festival but the entire Movies that Matter organisation more sustainable.

Do you have ideas or tips for us? They are always welcome. Send us a message via social media or at info@moviesthatmatter.nl.

More sustainable organisation guided by the R-framework

  • Reduce

    Reduce refers to decreasing consumption and production, and making products smarter and more efficient to use.

    Digital Footprint

    • The website is continually evolving. Since 2024, it includes a dark mode feature and is hosted on a green web server.
    • We regularly clean up our database.

    Printed Materials

    • Voting for films during the festival has been done via a digital voting tool since 2024, replacing paper tear-off cards. This saves around 20,000 cards annually.
    • The print run of our festival newspaper is reviewed yearly, resulting in a 33% reduction in print volume last year.
    • We are exploring sustainable alternatives for postal mailings, and from 2025 onwards, we will no longer send paper announcements to our mailing list.

    Consumption

    • Since 2023, festival crew catering has been vegetarian. With around 170 people eating during a festival, this makes a significant impact.
    • We do not use disposable plastic for catering, opting for cardboard where necessary.
    • Guest gifts are being made more sustainable. Since 2024, we no longer give flowers, have stopped routinely handing out canvas bags, and are reconsidering gifts for speakers.

    Travel & Transport

    • When attending film festivals, we prefer train travel over flying when possible and are committed to integrating this practice more fully into our organization. We also choose online participation over physical attendance when travel distances are significant.
    • We are exploring ways to minimize air travel for our guests and looking into coordinating travel schedules with other festivals to increase efficiency. Where this isn’t possible, we are considering other methods of compensation.
  • Re-use

    Re-use refers to extending the lifespan of products and components.

    Decoration and Decor

    All festival decorations have been designed with a timeless look after our rebranding, so they can be reused. This includes the mobile M, blocks, lightboxes, and even the facade banners and flags hanging around The Hague. This way, they can be used again in the coming years.

    Merchandise

    • Bags made from old facade banners are available as merchandise.
    • For all merchandise, we are seeking a balance between the visibility of the festival, supporting local makers, and sustainability.
  • Recycling

    Recycling means processing materials into new raw materials to create new products, which would otherwise be discarded.

    We aim to have as few leftover products as possible. Currently, we are in discussions with several parties to reuse any remaining materials. This includes processing and reusing coffee grounds and collecting and reusing leftover paperwork.