Abstract: Films are regularly screened for the purpose of environmental education. This thesis provides some insight on the nature and extent of the impacts of environmentally themed films. A public environmental film series was undertaken on a university campus and a qualitative research design utilizing interviews and focus groups was undertaken to explore with audience members film reactions and impacts. These results, in combination with a literature review, show that the impacts of a film are a product of the interaction of characteristics of the viewer and the film in a certain time and context. The impacts are of a cognitive, affective and sometimes behavioural nature. The two strongest impacts were that films can enable viewers to feel significant emotions and gain new perspectives relevant to environmental themes. However, understanding the exact type and nature of the impacts is complex, and they can be negative as well as positive in terms of providing for environmental education.
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