Toolkit: Hosting a Greenpeace Movie Night

Introduction

To build community and educate those around you about climate change, host a movie night. This will provide you and your attendees with a fun and informative experience.

Although with this activity, you and your guests may not be actively involved in fighting climate change, this event helps bring awareness to critical issues which your guests will hopefully take action on after seeing the movie of your choice. 

Not all people have the same knowledge about environmental justice or the climate crisis, but films are a great way to learn more about these topics, and everyone loves a good movie!

Preparing for your movie night

Deciding whether you want your event to be in-person or virtual

If you feel comfortable having others over at your residence, consider hosting an in person-screening. 

If you’d rather keep your film screening remote, invite your guests to join you on a Zoom or a Google Meet link, and stream the movie while sharing your screen and audio.

If you want us to set up a Zoom link for your event, please contact a Greenpeace USA staff member or your Action Pod coach. 

Picking a movie!

Whether you’re picking a documentary, a comedy, or a blockbuster action movie, make sure it has some connection to the environment and/or climate change. Below are some of our personal favorites, but you’re more than welcome to pick titles beyond this list.

Some of these films run fairly long, so if you’re operating on a limited schedule, split your movie night into two events: double the impact, double the fun!

Add your event to to the Greenpeace events page.

If you need help with creating your event, speak with your coach or a Greenpeace USA representative.

Recruiting attendees

1. Set your attendee goal. Aim for 5 guests who attend, but try to invite closer to 10 people since it’s likely that half will be available.
2. Reach out to your own connections. Your attendees can come from all aspects of your life — work, school, faith, friends, family, neighbors — the options are unlimited! Think about the best way to recruit someone based on how you know them. If you want to recruit a family member or a close friend, you probably want to have an in-person conversation or give them a call. For coworkers, classmates, and neighbors, a text message or an email might feel more appropriate. It all depends on your relationship and what feels right to you!
   Sample text message (Feel free to adapt this so it sounds like your own voice):
   “Hey [name]! Hope all is well 🙂I’m reaching out because I’m organizing a movie night at [LOCATION] with Greenpeace USA and wanted to see if you could join! It will be on [DATE] at [TIME]. It would be great to see you there! Can you make it?” You can also reach out to folks outside of your immediate network. Social media, listservs, and community posters are just some examples. The key here is to be creative!
3. Recruit other Greenpeacers (recommended). If you’d like to invite Greenpeace USA supporters in your area, let us know by filling out this recruitment request form. Once you do, a Greenpeace staffer will get you set up with a textbanking campaign. This way you’ll be able to reach out directly to other Greenpeace supporters and volunteers near you and invite them to your event.
4. Make sure people RSVP to your event. This is so you’ll have a better idea of who’s coming!

The day before your event

Reach out to each of your attendees to confirm that they can make it. This makes it much more likely that they will show up! If you’re hosting your movie night in person, consider having some of your guests bring snacks!

The Day Of

Once everyone arrives, it’s time for your cinematic experience to begin! Here is a sample agenda to help you structure your event. Feel free to customize as you like to best suit your event.

Sample agenda

Before the event begins

Set up your movie and allow it to buffer in advance.

If you’re watching remotely, make sure to log in and test your screen share to ensure guests can see and hear your video.

If you’re watching in person, bring out enough chairs and couches to make sure that everyone has a place to sit. If you can, make some popcorn!

Welcome and introductions (10 mins)

Welcome everyone and thank them for coming. As your guests arrive, introduce yourself, and get to know them if you don’t already.

Beginning with yourself so you can model, have the group do introductions.

Example: “Let’s share our names, pronouns, our favorite movie, and why we’re here”

Talk about the significance of this film (5 mins)

Before you begin watching, have a discussion with your guests about the film’s significance and why it matters to them. Share why you picked this movie and why the issue matters to you.

You should also discuss what type of viewing experience your guests prefer. For example, do they want subtitles? How loud do they want the volume? Be aware of your audience’s preferences and accessibility needs.

Watch your movie! (1-2 hours)

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

If possible, try stopping the movie every 20-40 minutes, and discussing what’s happened so far. Sample discussion questions include:

• What did you think of that scene?
• Why do you think that person/institution acted the way they did?
• How does this parallel things that have happened in your life?
• What can we do about this problem?

Debrief & Discussion (10 mins)

When the movie concludes, discuss with your group what they thought. Did they enjoy the movie? Did they find it impactful? What did they learn from watching?

Remember: The purpose of this event is to get your friends and family plugged in to engage further with the environmental movement, so consider hosting another event after this movie night (such as a trash cleanup or letter writing party) and invite your guests!

After Your Event

Send thank you’s to your attendees and answer any follow-up questions!

Take a breath. YOU DID GREAT! Thank you!