The Global Climate Playlist - Climate Story Unit

In 2025, Doc Society teamed up with Kinema to launch a curated collection of films supported by the Climate Story Unit that bring powerful climate stories to audiences around the world. Over the year, we hosted a monthly series of free online screenings, each featuring a live Q&A with filmmakers, protagonists and impact partners. These events created opportunities for audiences to engage directly with the stories and the people behind them, while also helping film teams expand their impact campaigns through community screenings and partnerships.

Replay most of these discussions in our Vimeo channel

These films centre communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis while highlighting resilience, leadership, and solutions. Each title in the playlist reflects the Climate Story Unit’s commitment to supporting storytelling that can shift culture and move us closer to a climate-just and biodiverse future.

Impact Highlights

Across ten films and ten online screening events, the Global Climate Playlist reached audiences across the world and demonstrated the growing appetite for well-contextualised climate storytelling:

2,681 people registered for Doc Society-hosted screenings
1,459 attendees joined live events, with an average turnout rate of 54%
Participants joined from across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America
32 speakers participated in live Q&A conversations with filmmakers and experts

Beyond the flagship events, the partnership with Kinema helped unlock further impact distribution opportunities for the films:

202 community-hosted screenings organised around the world
4,580 additional attendees reached through community screenings
83 paid rentals through Kinema’s platform
$8,129 in gross revenue generated for film teams

For many filmmakers, the Playlist also served as an entry point to new audiences and tools for community engagement:

90% of film teams reported increased visibility for their film
80% used Kinema for the first time
60% said the initiative supported their impact campaign goals
50% reported new partnerships, screening requests or press opportunities

Building an Ecosystem for Climate Storytelling

The Global Climate Playlist is part of the Climate Story Kitchen, an experimental space within the Climate Story Unit that tests new models for climate storytelling, audience engagement and impact distribution.

By pairing curated screenings with community-led events, the Playlist explored how digital platforms can help films travel further reaching civil society organisations, educators, activists and community groups who are using stories as tools for dialogue and action.

The initiative also surfaced important lessons about how impact distribution works in practice. Films that activated partners, created toolkits for grassroots hosts, or aligned screenings with key advocacy moments saw the strongest uptake. For example, the film Mrs. Robinson catalysed more than 100 community screenings in a single month, demonstrating the potential of coordinated campaigns to mobilise global audiences.

These insights will inform future Climate Story Unit collaborations and strengthen support for filmmakers seeking to move from awareness to action.

The Global Climate Playlist is a curated list of global documentary films supported by Doc Society’s Climate Story Unit, which supports compelling storytelling and impact campaigns from around the world. Every film funded is considered a powerful story that can move the world closer to a climate-just and biodiverse future

“Doc Society has long been at the forefront of championing groundbreaking documentary storytelling, and The Global Climate Playlist is a testament to their dedication to curating films that inspire action. At Kinema, we are honored to help bring these essential climate stories to audiences worldwide, transforming awareness into tangible impact,” Christie Marchese, CEO of Kinema.

Each month, Doc Society will spotlight one film in the playlist and host a special live online screening event, free for audiences, that includes a live Q&A with the film and impact team. Doc Society and Kinema will provide event production and marketing support.

Doc Society, Kinema and the participating film teams are committed to meaningfully connecting with audiences, increasing participation for impact distribution, and creating revenue opportunities for film teams. Kinema will serve as their screening tour partner, and filmmakers will receive additional strategy support from the Kinema team.

The Global Climate Playlist included the following titles:

Against the Tide – Dir. Sarvnik Kaur
Delikado – Dir. Karl Malakunas
Greener Pastures – Dir. Sam Mirpoorian
Mrs. Robinson – Dir. Aoife Kelleher
Nocturnes – Dirs. Anirban Dutta & Anupama Srinivasan
Temperature Rising – Dirs. Jacqueline van Meygaarden, Anita Khanna & Rehad Desai
The Battle for Laikipia – Dirs. Daphne Matziaraki & Peter Murimi
The People vs Climate Change – Dir. Harriet Bird
Raíz – Dir. Franco García Becerra
Uýra: The Rising Forest – Dir. Juliana Curi

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