Film & TV Creatives Want More Climate Storytelling, But Face Barriers, Survey Finds

EXCLUSIVE: With the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 31 underway, the results are in from a first-of-its-kind international survey of film and TV industry professionals about climate storytelling.

Deadline has seen the survey results, which reveal 71% of people surveyed want to include climate-related storytelling in their work. However, 55% of respondents reported barriers to including climate themes in their work, and there was also a lower level of overall enthusiasm for climate storytelling among commissioners.

Deadline was first to report the survey’s launch amid talk that film commissions and the UN itself were showing an interest in it, with the hope its results would inform the conversation and lead to more support for creatives working on climate-relevant projects.

The survey was global and available in 15 languages, with responses received from 78 countries. The remit was to canvass the international industry, but with an extra focus on India, Bangladesh, Brazil, Nigeria, the UK and U.S.

The majority of survey respondents were either writers, directors or producers. 74% of respondents said they believed film and TV can help raise awareness of climate issues. Most respondents reported they would like to create solutions-focused content, or tell stories that weave climate conversations into everyday life.

With the results in, the report’s key recommendations included better funding and distribution for indie producers that incorporate climate themes in their work, and more efforts to ensure the studios, broadcasters, platforms and funders are properly engaged.

There was also a call for locally rooted and solutions-focused storytelling and support that is specifically tailored for different markets. The survey results suggest there are financial barriers that are notably hard to overcome in Africa and South America.

While climate change remains a charged issue, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that emissions, primarily from fossil fuel use, are driving global warming with wide-ranging consequences for people and the planet.

Futerra Solutions Union commissioned Ipsos to manage the survey on behalf of the Entertainment & Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) Film & Television Alliance. ECCA is convened by UN Climate Change to support the film & TV industry’s contributions to climate action.