Youth Storytellers
Field to Film Festival
4th Edition
From February 28 to March 12 2026
Join rural and Indigenous youth from Latin America & the Caribbean, South Asia and West Africa in celebrating the women who feed the world
Scroll down to learn more and register
Groundswell International's Youth Storyteller Program 4th Annual Field to Film Festival
Save your spot
Select your preferred region to register. You’re welcome to register for more than one (it's free)!
South Asia
February 28, 2026
⏰ 7:30PM-8:30PM NPT (8:45AM EST)
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 Nepali with English interpretation
Latin America & the Caribbean
March 4, 2026
⏰ 3PM-4:30PM EST
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 Spanish and Haitian Creole with English interpretation
West Africa
March 12, 2026
⏰ 3PM-4:30PM GMT (11AM-12:30 EST)
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 French and English interpretation
From a storytelling experiment to a global youth movement
Each year, Groundswell International holds a festival showcasing the short films produced by dozens of youth from smallholder farmer communities participating in its Youth Storyteller Program.
What began as a way to help rural and Indigenous youth tell the stories of their communities building healthy farming and food systems has grown into a global library of films and youth network challenging the myth that industrial agriculture is the only way to feed the world.
Together, youth storytellers form a diverse, collective voice demanding a shift in the global food paradigm: for systems that nourish instead of harm, uplift instead of impose, regenerate instead of extract. And they don’t just call for change: they invite us to their communities and show us how they are taking action!
Their films have reached policymakers, influenced farming practices, and inspired communities far beyond where they were made.
At the heart of these stories stand the humble heroes who feed the world: the mothers, daughters, grandmothers and sisters tending the land, feeding their families, passing on knowledge, and caring for their communities. This festival is a tribute to them, and to the youth who carry their work forward.
#YearoftheWomanFarmer
The stories of women farmers, told through the eyes of youth
A global response to the UN's 2026 International Year of the Woman Farmer
This edition's theme focuses on the stories of Women Farmers, aligning with the UN’s theme for 2026. These short films, born at the heart of smallholder farmer communities, will highlight the central role of women farmers in farming and food systems, offering stories and insights that are captured by the young people who live these realities daily.
These films will bring global attention to how women are organizing, leading and changing their communities, generating equity and wellbeing for themselves, their families, and their communities across the world.
Three regional festivals, one global movement
For the first time ever, the festival will unfold into three regional editions: West Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean, and South Asia.
Each festival will feature:
- Opening by a regional Groundswell International team member
- Film screening from regional youth teams
- Live panel session with the young filmmakers
- Closing Q&A
Why three festivals instead of one?
We listened to your feedback! Many of you wanted more time to hear directly from the youth themselves. We also wanted to ensure the festivals were a space where local youth of all backgrounds felt welcome, and where their own communities could participate more fully. This new format will allow:
- Longer live panels where young filmmakers can share their perspectives
- Easier participation across languages and time zones
- Live Q&A with audience participation
- Live screenings in rural communities
- A chance to dive deeper into local social change processes while still being part of a global movement
Save your spot
Select your preferred region to register. You’re welcome to register for more than one (it's free)!
South Asia
February 28, 2026
⏰ 7:30PM-8:30PM NPT (8:45-9:45AM EST)
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 Nepali with English interpretation
Latin America & the Caribbean
March 4, 2026
⏰ 3PM-4:30PM EST
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 Spanish and Haitian Creole with English interpretation
West Africa
March 12, 2026
⏰ 3PM-4:30PM GMT (11AM-12:30 EST)
📍Online (Zoom)
💬 French and English interpretation
from idea...
to real impact
Taking the Youth Storyteller Program to new heights
Since its launch three years ago, the Youth Storyteller Program has uncovered the vision and determination of rural youth.
Through film, they’ve become powerful communicators, sharing stories that have shifted perspectives and sparked change in their communities. Past festival films have been broadcast on national television, screened in community halls, discussed on radio shows, and shared with policymakers. Last year alone, they helped:
- Reach 25,000+ viewers across communities and global audiences
- Influence farmers to adopt agroecological practices after watching the films
- Give youth a platform on radio shows, podcasts, and at policy meetings
Every film is both a window into rural life and a tool for transformation. Together, they form a diverse, collective voice calling for food systems that nurture people and the planet instead of depleting them. But their potential doesn’t stop there.
Expanding the program beyond storytelling
The youth behind these films, aged 15–35, are farmers, entrepreneurs, students, communicators, and sometimes, young parents. They are innovators and connectors, bridging generations and building movements for social change. They’re showing what’s possible when young people are given space to learn, lead, and reimagine the future of their communities.
Despite their immense potential, they face persistent barriers:
- Limited opportunities for training and capacity-building.
- Lack of access to land, tools, and financial resources.
- Few platforms for their voices in community and local governance.
- The ongoing struggle to be seen and valued as smallholder and Indigenous farmers as agents of change, not youth who need to leave their communities for better opportunities elsewhere.
It is time for us to take the next step to help youth realize their full potential. The program is expanding from storytelling to youth leadership. We’re investing in training, mentorship, and resources that will equip young people not only to tell their stories, but to lead hopeful futures for themselves, their communities, and beyond.
This next phase will:
- Equip youth to become skilled agroecological farmers and promoters.
- Generate income and help re-energize rural areas vulnerable to migration.
- Support micro-enterprises that strengthen circular local economies.
- Grow confident leaders ready to take on responsibilities in their regions.
- Connect youth across regions to collaborate and scale their impact.
“As a global network, every day we see the passion and commitment of rural youth. They want to create hopeful futures where they live, and they are asking for opportunities and taking steps to regenerate farmland, create small enterprises, generate incomes, and build communities. We are committed to responding, to walking alongside them, and to growing our investment in youth leaders creating healthier farming and food systems from the ground up.”
Support the next generation of farmers and rural youth leaders
Your support will help expand the Youth Storyteller Program beyond storytelling, funding the training, mentorship, and resources that empower rural youth to build and lead hopeful futures for their communities.
In partnership with: EkoRural (Ecuador), Vecinos Honduras (Honduras), CENTÉOTL (Mexico), Qachuu Aloom (Guatemala), ACESH (Honduras), AGRIDIVI (Guatemala), Sahel Eco (Mali), Agrecol Afrique (Senegal), CIKOD (Ghana), ANSD (Burkina Faso), BBP Pariwar, and RWUA (Nepal)
https://groundswellinternational.org/
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Download flyers: South Asia | West Africa | Latin America & the Caribbean (coming soon)
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