Every year I look forward to The Global Peace Film Festival (GPFF) it is is such an important festival and truly brings the world of important films to Central Florida! I can think of no greater aim than that of GPFF which "uses the power of the moving image to further the cause of peace on earth." This organization is solidly run with great passion and commitment not just to high quality films but as a support system for filmmakers. I am a huge fan!

The Global Peace Film Festival (GPFF) is one of Orlando's (and surrounding areas)
best cultural and cinematic adventure! I say adventure because the GPFF takes
viewers into the global and local world of peacemakers. It's an exciting adventure
to see people around the world working for a more peaceful and prosperous life.
Here in the U.S. we take for granted that bombs do not drop on our heads as a matter of
daily life. Others around the world do not take life or peace for granted. Every year the
GPFF helps us appreciate peace and life just a bit more. The GPFF is a cinematic and cultural treasure Orlando is proud to call its own.

The Global Peace Film Festival has become one of the most uplifting weeks of the year for me. While the subject matter of the films is varied the theme is the same, How can we make this world a better place?

The movies I was able to view at this event were so enlightening ! There are so many events taking place all over the world that these film makers are able to share with viewers. This is a definite on my list of events to attend. It’s already on my calendar for 2018.

This was my first experience with a "peace film festival" (as opposed to a regular film festival, I guess) and it far exceeded my expectations. Despite coming on the heels of Hurricane Irma, the show went on with utmost care and professionalism.

The festival planners truly curate a festival with high-quality films at its core--every film I saw knocked it out of the park. They also take a very broad view of what a peace film is, not just focusing on film that chronicles peacemakers in the face of conflict/war, but that rather examines people and places that are trying to make the world a better place in general.

I also really appreciated the small scale and Southern hospitality of the festival. Fest board members really take you under their wing: driving you to any and all screenings (not just your own), getting dinner with you, introducing you to local Orlando residents, and generally showing you a really good time. This fest really has a personal touch combined with a quality curator's eye toward film.

(Maria De La O, producer, The Promised Band)

Thank you to the Global Peace Film Festival team, the Executive Director Nina Streich and the Artistic Director Kelly DeVine for the flawless organization and the great selection of films. As a filmmaker, I was proud to be a part of it. It is a very inspiring event.

Nina and Kelly--and the whole GPFF staff--always curate a wonderful collection of sensitive and provocative treatments of the human condition, imploring us all to work to improve it. Significantly, the go the extra mileS to engage the community at large in their annual enterprise by reaching out to local academic, professional, and other communities to share the message of peace and humanity. And they reach out to filmmakers to assure that they know their work is both welcome and worthwhile in a world where value is generally measured in sales and audience size. They are like few others in the film festival circuit. Their niche is critical to filmmakers who have a voice that is often otherwise unheard. Thank you!

I'm a director of documentary film and TV and I've been fortunate to have participated in many film festivals over the year. This festival ranks with the best of them in terms of filmmaker experience and audience impact. We were incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to bring our film to an entirely new community. The festival organizers were well organized and dedicated, and even in the aftermath of hurricane Irma they managed to put on a memorable and impactful festival event. I hope we can come back with another film in the near future!

This is the second time I have brought a documentary to the Global Peace Film Festival and this year was every bit as rewarding as the first time in 2012 with our film "Trial By Fire: Lives Re-Forged." I love the GPFF mission and their broad and inclusive interpretation of peace. We feel honored that our current documentary, "The Buddy System" got to be a part of the 2017 festival. The GPFF has cultivated true audience engagement within the community of Winter Park and beyond. They have also the added element of engaging the academic community at Rollins College makes this festival extra special. From Kelly's thoughtful and incisive comments about our film, to Nina organizing and personally greeting us at the high school where we spoke to young film students, to Josh always being tuned into where we were and where we needed to go, we felt taken care of every step of the way. In addition, the GPFF mission doesn't stop after the festival ends! Nina and Kelly have both offered to help us rally more support when we have an upcoming screening in New York and are always interested in advising us on greater community engagement. As a filmmaker, I also greatly appreciate receiving a funds to put towards our travel expenses. I know of very few festivals who do this. It is a deeply meaningful gesture and one that both honors us as artists and respects the work that we do. Kudos to the entire team!

I have been going to GPFF since the year it opened. It has been an exciting, enjoyable, educational experience. It is needed even more now as we must,absolutely must, gain insight into different cultures to promote understanding and global communication . I look forward to another GPFF to widen my horizons in the coming year. Linda

We partnered with GPFF on a documentary screening, and it was a great success!

Fantastic project. Every year, the Festival exceeds itself in quality of entries and breadth of topics. Its well organized, on a very modest budget and with mostly volunteer staff. I have worked in the film industry as well as for a number of nonprofit organizations and Global Peace Film Festival stands out in both fields.

I have closely followed the Global Peace Film Festival since its inception in 2003. The Festival programs excellent films relevant to the social issues and forward looking solutions that mark our conflicted times. But of equal importance is the successful outreach and community engagement that has been a central focus of the Festival's staff and Executive Director. They have established a practice of working with national, Florida-wide and especially local Orlando organizations to both build audience for the Festival and support for the local organizations. From my perspective as a former program director at Free Speech TV and as Executive Director of Deep Dish TV, this festival has more measurable impact than many larger festivals.

The Global Peace Film Festival has partnered with the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College for the past 5 years. The Festival has brought wonderful and eye-opening films to our students and community. Nina Streich, the Executive Director, has an amazing ability to connect filmmakers with our audiences to bring us an even more in depth understanding of the film and the message. Orlando is fortunate to have such high class film festival that welcomes so many amazing filmmakers to our community and spreads the message of peace and justice through the arts.

The Global Peace Film Festival is a top-notch organization that provides the community with a great public service--good films about social justice. I've been pleased to partner with Global Peace a number of times under the auspices of the LWV of Florida and Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. I look forward to continuing to support Global Peace and the tremendous public service they provide to our communities!

Patti Brigham, Orlando

An incredible film organization and event providing great film that's meant to help us think and see the world through many viewpoints and beliefs.

The GPFF is an invaluable tool for awareness and education on a great variety of social and environmental subjects.

I've attended the Global Peace Film Festival for the past four years. I enjoy films, but this is different...I get to watch films AND help make a difference in people lives. It's also, in turn, made an impact in my life as a result. The Festival made me more aware of what global peace is; ranging from finding ones inner peace to young children living with exposure to radiation in Japan. I invite friends to join me every year, hoping they're impacted in the same way as I and that they'll spread the information out to their networks. It’s also sparked an interest in my family getting move involved locally. The documentaries are insightful, impactful and make you want to get involved. It brings together a diverse group ranging from young to old in four days through various channels – art, film and discussion. It draws together local resources to assist those who wish to get involved and start right here in their own community; while also providing global resources. They also provide an online Festival of short films during the same timeframe for those who live outside of the region and cannot attend. I'm a fan and will continue to follow the Festival for years ahead.

The Global Peace Film Festival is without peer in using such a powerful medium to provide such an array of insights into such a broad range of topics at such a reasonable price. The GPFF isn't about entertainment. It's about information. It's about motivation to action. It's about making our world better, one community at a time. Every resident of Central Florida should mark the dates September 18-24, 2017, on their calendars right now. And visitors to the region should make sure their trip coincides with those dates so they too can experience the GPFF.

What a privilege it has been over the last decade or so to work with the great folks at the Global Peace Film Festival. The extraordinary selection of films, combined with the many opportunities for community interaction, and the inspiring direction of the organization in regard to its "don't just sit there" campaign all combine to help create a world-class film festival designed to engage people to help create a better community and world. It has been a privilege for our organization to partner throughout the years with GPFF.