Earth Day at Emeritus

Filmmaker and six-time Emmy® winner Joseph Rosendo (L), and Santa Monica College (SMC) Professor and filmmaker Sheila Laffey (R) engage with the audience during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at SMC's Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Filmmaker and Earth-based mindfulness mentor Sylvie Rokab asks panelists, “What does Earth Day mean to you?” after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Filmmaker Dylan Langendorf (C), a 13 year-old student at Portola Middle School, among the audience before the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured Dylan’s first short film, “Seeds of Change”, among several other environmentally focused short films, and was followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling. The event was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Filmmaker and six-time Emmy® winner Joseph Rosendo engages with the audience during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Environmental activist and writer Robin Streichler asks a question to the panelists after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Audience enjoys the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Community Garden Advocate and Physical Culturist Cordula Ohman during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

(L to R) Sylvie Rokab and Sheila Laffey attend Earth Day at Emeritus, a film screening event dedicated to the preservation of nature and the humankind that took place on Wed. April 22, 2026 at the Santa Monica College (SMC) Emeritus campus in Downtown Santa Monica, Calif. Laffey is an SMC professor who has taught many courses in Film Studies since 1999. She produced the first film shown at the screening, "We All Need the Forest", and another one of the films she directed and produced was also screened. Rokab came to support Laffey, who she says is her good friend and collegue. (Maria Lebedev | The Corsair)

Film educator and filmmaker Nidhin Patel engages with the audience during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Filmmaker Dylan Langendorf, a 13 year-old student at Portola Middle School, engages with the audience during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College (SMC) Professor and filmmaker Sheila Laffey (L) and Director of the Ethos Film Awards Anabelle Munro (R) introduce the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at SMC's Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Director of the Ethos Film Awards Anabelle Munro introduces the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Audience enjoys the eco-friendly short film screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at Santa Monica College’s (SMC) Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda/The Corsair)

Director of the Ethos Film Awards Anabelle Munro (L), and Santa Monica College (SMC) Professor and filmmaker Sheila Laffey (R) introduce the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at SMC's Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

(L to R) Director of the Ehtos Film Awards and panel moderator Anabelle Munro, student and filmmaker Dylan Langendorf, filmmaker and six-time Emmy® winner Joseph Rosendo, Santa Monica College (SMC) Professor and filmmaker Sheila Laffey, and film educator and filmmaker Nidhin Patel during the Q&A after the screenings at “Earth Day at Emeritus” in the Auditorium at SMC's Emeritus Campus on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Santa Monica, Calif. The free event, part of Earth Day celebrations, featured several environmentally focused short films followed by a panel discussion on the impact of storytelling and was a collaboration between SMC Emeritus program and the Ethos Film Awards 2026. (Guillermo De La Barreda | The Corsair)

Environmental storytelling took center stage April 22 as the Santa Monica College’s Emeritus program hosted “Earth Day” at the Emeritus campus auditorium. The free public event featured short film screenings and a panel discussion on eco-filmmaking that was a collaboration between SMC professor and filmmaker Sheila Laffey’s Emeritus film class and the ETHOS Film Awards.

“The ETHOS Film Awards are about purpose-driven film versus profit-driven film. That means all the films that we are showing have a deeper message and a call to action, to the community at heart.” said founding president and director of the ETHOS Film Institute Anabelle Munro.

“We show this through short films, long films, fiction and documentaries, and we curate the program so it attracts certain interest groups,” said Munro. “Mental health is a big topic for us, the environment is a big topic. We have animals, kindness, in general, anything that furthers the world and creates a better tomorrow.”

The event featured films and clips from eco-filmmakers including Laffey, six-time Emmy Award winner Joseph Rosendo, student filmmaker Dylan Langendorf of Portola Middle School  and film educator and filmmaker Nidhin Patel. The screenings were followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers and a Q&A moderated by Anabelle Munro.