Jannatul Ferdous Ivy is a Bangladeshi activist, writer and filmmaker who has transformed her personal lifelong journey into a mission for social change.

After surviving a devastating fire accident in 1997 that left her with burns over 60% of her body, she emerged not just as a survivor,  but as an advocate for the rights of burn victims and persons with disabilities.

She uses cinema as a tool for advocacy. Her short films, such as "Nirobey" and "Article 16", address gender inequity in the workplace and the harassment faced by female employees with disabilities. Her Literary Contributions includes 11 books, including novels, poems, articles and stories to provide hope and visibility. She intentionally focuses on "happy endings" in her literature to provide readers—especially those from similar backgrounds—with a sense of challenge. Jannatul Ferdous Ivy is in the BBC 100 Women 2023 list highlighted her role as an influential figure in advocacy for women’s rights in Bangladesh. 

After a childhood and youth filled with artistic projects involving music, theatre, dance and cinema, Pilar spent a year in Paris on an Erasmus exchange programme as part of her French Philology studies at the University of Cadiz in 2019. During this year, she discovered the city and the world of cultural management through her experience with the theatre association at La Sorbonne - Paris 3. She therefore decided to move to Paris in September 2021. She joined ICART to study Cultural Engineering and Management and joined the Deauville Green Awards team in April 2022, where she rose through the ranks to become Director in 2024. In February 2026, she joined the NGO Life Project 4 Youth and began working as an Audiovisual Production Coordinator at the Youth Visions studio.
In her spare time, Pilar dances, hosts Fresques du Climat events, participates in activist campaigns, writes, reads, goes to the cinema a lot and enjoys long weekends in the countryside!

Gab Mejia is a queer Filipino photographer, multidisciplinary artist, and National Geographic Explorer.

Born and raised in the Philippines, his practice weaves photography, filmmaking, co-creative research, counter-geographies, and ecological design working in the intersections of climate change, biodiversity, science, spirituality, and culture to confront our socio-political and ecological crises. His work has been published in National Geographic, BBC, Art Partner, Atmos Earth, Queer East Film Festival, Vogue, and the United Nations, and has been exhibited at Photo London, Grand Palais Paris, Objectifs Singapore, and the National Museum of the Philippines, among other platforms and living spaces.

He continues to explore the plurality of narratives, identities, and depictions of ecology through mythopoetics, speculative documentary, and island world-making, with the hopes to gain a deeper understanding of our shared yet fraught relationship with the environment and of ourselves.

Actor in the series ‘Ami des lobbies’ (Friend of Lobbyists), committed to protecting life, and co-founder of the music group ‘Kazaya’. 

Sadetło Scott is a documentary filmmaker and producer from the Tłı̨chǫ nation and founder of Zahk’e Productions Incorporated. Her short film Edaxàdets’eetè (2023) won Best Canadian Short at the Planet in Focus International Film Festival and was nominated for Best Environmental Short at the Green Film Network. Her work centers around art and Indigenous language revitalization and was recognized by the Governor General’s Office with a King Charles III Coronation Medal. 

She holds certificates in Heritage and Culture, Cinematography and a B.A in Indigenous Governance (Canada) and currently works as the Equipment Manager for the Western Arctic Moving Pictures. As a short documentary producer she’s passionate about sharing gonàowo - Indigenous language, culture, and way of life as a form of climate action.

Ayana Harper is an award-winning filmmaker and editor based in Toronto. Her work focuses on intimate, character-driven stories that explore themes of kinship, care, and belonging. Through quiet, emotionally grounded storytelling, Harper’s films center moments of human connection and recognition, often highlighting underrepresented perspectives. Her latest short, In Due Time, won Best Short Short at the Toronto Independent Film Festival.

Learn more at ayanaedits.com and connect with her on Instagram @ayanaedts and LinkedIn.

Nyasha Harper-Michon is an ‘Archtivist’ working to accelerate the transition toward equitable, resilient, and regenerative cities.
She's a LinkedIn Top Voice Green, and currently serves as a Communications Expert at the United Nations Environment Programme for the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC).
She also sits on the boards of 8-80 Cities, Passive House Canada, and Weave Community Capital Fund. Her work spans architecture, climate advocacy, and storytelling across the built environment.

Learn more at nyasha-harpermichon.com and connect with on Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/nyasha-harper-michon and Instagram: instagram.com/nyashahm.archtivist

© Anuliina Savolainen/UNESCO (photo)

Frédérique Müller, author and lecturer on ‘Ecology and Cinema’

Following eight years of science communication at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris, and then 18 years of cultural outreach at Médiathèque Nouvelle in Belgium on environmental issues, my work involves analysing the representations and imaginaries that circulate in cinema around ecological issues. Among my favourite topics are: visions of the future; our relationship with living things through the forest, insects, the garden or water; and the figure of the witch from an ecofeminist perspective.

Ana Brecevic is a Franco-Croatian visual artist and paper designer.
Trained in graphic design, she discovered the expressive potential of paper at a very early age, a material with which she developed a deep affinity. After several years in set design, notably for prestigious fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent, she chose to refocus her practice around her environmental convictions. This transition marked the beginning of a committed artistic practice, where material becomes language.

Her imagination, nourished by a life spent between France and Croatia, is intimately linked to the landscapes that surround her. The environmental upheavals observed in these two regions, and in particular the degradation of the Mediterranean coastline, form the sensitive fabric of her approach.

At the age of 35, she set up her studio between the forest and the ocean, in an environment conducive to observing living things. Her work has been exhibited in leading venues, notably at the Grand Palais as part of the CHANGE NOW exhibition.
Ana Brecevic develops a body of work at the crossroads of ecology, material and memory, where each creation invites us to rethink our connection to the natural world.

© Marion Saupin (photo)

After gaining my first professional experience in the field of cybersecurity consultancy, I decided to refocus my career on areas more closely aligned with my personal beliefs. For the past four years, I have had the privilege and opportunity to raise awareness, support and engage with individuals and organisations committed to driving environmental and social change. Through my work, I aim to create spaces for discussion, debate and cooperation, and to initiate processes and raise awareness.

Ilse Tempelaar, sociologist and director of the documentary series Nomadic Motion

For over 20 years, Ilse has been working in the fields of natural resource management, climate resilience and communication.

Having worked with a wide range of development actors in several countries across West and Central Africa and elsewhere, she has an excellent understanding of the international solidarity context.

She also has solid experience in developing strategies and steering change-oriented and ecosystem-based processes with a gender perspective.

Ilse has contributed to the identification, institutional support and evaluation of environmental and climate programmes, conducted studies on pastoral systems and collaborative resource management, and successfully led inclusive analysis and knowledge-sharing processes.

With strong analytical, writing and audiovisual skills, she has produced and co-developed a variety of outputs (reports, guides, films, videos, web documentaries).

Ilse excels at delivering high-quality work, both independently and as part of a team. She brings a capacity to think and create ‘outside the box’ and a sensitivity to community and gender issues, as also reflected in her documentaries.

Marine Creuzet is Director of Communications, Branding and Advocacy at Groupe SOS, one of France’s leading non-profit organisations, dedicated to tackling major social, societal and environmental issues.
Her career, spanning agencies, ministerial departments, public institutions and NGOs, has enabled her to develop recognised expertise in communication strategies designed to drive social and environmental change.

Underground Talkies Nepal (Nepal)

Anup Poudel is a producer based in Kathmandu who believes in producing films and raising voices on democracy, global warming, and minor and marginalized communities. A graduate of Oscar College of Film Studies in Kathmandu, Anup has graduated in a film-producing course from Busan Asian Film School, South Korea and attended different project markets and film residencies to name a few: Asian Project Market, Holland Film Meeting, La Fabrique Cinema, Nantes Produire au Sud Workshop, Filmbazaar Coproduction Market, Global Media Makers, Pop up Film Residency etc. His short films as a Producer have been selected at festivals like Cannes, Venice, Busan, Winterthur, Locarno, Montreal, Uppsala, Galway and many more. He was also awarded by the then US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for his short film on Democracy. He has recently completed three short films and a feature, which are in the process of being submitted to various film festivals.

Léo Balage is a French professional specialising in cultural and events project development, with a focus on CSR, partnerships and public relations. He works in the cultural and creative industries sector, notably with festivals and agencies, and is responsible for CSR and institutional matters for the We Love Green festival.

Based in Paris, Simon has lived in several countries, including Ecuador, where he worked on the sketch series enchufe.tv before turning his attention to documentary filmmaking. To date, he has directed two documentaries: one about a stateless community on the Golan Heights (Borderline Views), and one about the agroforestry movement in Brazil (O Elo Perdido). He is also a journalist, covering a range of topics – from ecology to tattooing, via technology.

Janina Rossiter (Nina Rossiter) is an artist, author, and Artivist, combining her passions for painting and illustrating children’s books with her commitment to environmental protection. Motivated by concerns for oceans and wildlife, her latest books address plastic pollution and endangered sea creatures, empowering children to take action.

As an environmental speaker, Janina has visited international schools to raise awareness about ocean conservation and share practical solutions for protecting the planet. “In 2018, I was just a mum worried about our future. Today, I am an Artivist protecting our planet with all my heart and art.”

Her work has gained international recognition: in 2021, her illustration Mangroves was featured in the VIP area of COP26’s Blue Zone. In 2022, four artworks from 123, Who’s Cleaning the Sea? were exhibited at the Grand Palais Éphémère during the ChangeNOW summit, where she also spoke on the panel ‘Building a Culture for Change.’ Her art was further shown at POLITICO’s Sustainability Future Week in Brussels (2022) and at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Vancouver (2023). She continued her work with ChangeNOW in 2024, 2025, and 2026, creating compelling stage designs that celebrate a love for our planet, merging ocean elements and nature together.

Janina finds her greatest joy in recreating the ocean through her paintings, hoping her art inspires action and amplifies the voice of the sea.

Maxime Gueudet is a specialist in ecological transformation issues as they relate to the cultural sector. In particular, he has contributed to the development of the Arviva association in the performing arts sector and helped shape eco-friendly cultural policies within the Ministry of Culture’s Directorate-General for Artistic Creation.

He recently joined the team at Bourges 2028 — European Capital of Culture — as Low-Carbon and Ecological Transition Officer. In this role, he helps to define and implement the event’s environmental strategy, with the aim of making Bourges 2028 a cultural project that sets an example in terms of sustainability.

Gleb Raikov is a PhD student at the Centre Pierre Naville, a leading research unit in visual and film sociology at the University of Évry–Paris Saclay.
His work combines ethnographic methods and documentary filmmaking as tools for social inquiry and exploration. He is the first PhD student in his laboratory to receive funding from the National League Against Cancer for a film project focusing on volunteering in the field of oncology. At the same time, he directs documentary films focusing on interpersonal dynamics and forms of sociability. His films have been screened at several international ethnographic film festivals, notably Ethnografilm, the Jean Rouch Festival and the Visualista Film Festival (IVSA).