On 19 March, students from across Dublin came together at the Lighthouse Cinema in Smithfield for the Rubbish Film Festival Dublin Regional Awards, celebrating creativity and climate action through film.
Bringing together schools from Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin, the event showcased powerful short films addressing issues like waste, fast fashion, and environmental responsibility. As highlighted by the Dublin Gazette, students demonstrated how local stories can connect to global climate challenges.
Supported by all four Dublin local authorities, the festival continues to give young people a platform to explore sustainability through creativity. In Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, for example, the awards recognised films that captured the real-life impact of environmental issues, as noted by DLR County Council.
The Rubbish Film Festival Regional Awards are a key step in the wider programme, with winning films progressing to the national stage on the 22 April, highlighting the growing impact of youth-led storytelling in driving awareness and action on climate change.
The schools receiving regional awards for each locale were as follows:
Dublin City
Best Film
Chanel College – Pass the Parcel
Runner-Up
Colaiste Mhuire – Shein Girls
Best Poster
Synge Street CBS – Family Tree
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
Best Film
St. Joseph of Cluny Secondary School – It’s On You
Runner-Up
Rockford Manor Secondary School – Reality
Best Poster
Dominican College Sion Hill – Think for Yourself
Impact Award
Holy Child Community School – Footprints Matter
South Dublin
Best Film
Adamstown Community College – The Green Grab
Runner-Up
Tallaght Community School – War On Earth
Best Poster
The Final Countdown
Fingal
Best Film
St. Mary’s Secondary School, Baldoyle – What a Waste
Runner-Up
Edmund Rice College, Dublin – Now or Never
Best Poster
Blakestown Community School – Time for Change
