In the summer of 2023, Sufi Momin, a 13-year-old, seventh-grade student at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia, decided to take her mother’s advice and participate in the One Earth Young Filmmakers Contest, a premier international environmental film festival that aims to create opportunities to understand climate change and sustainability. For Sufi, a firm proponent who shares Prince Rahim and Prince Hussein’s stance on environmental stewardship, this was a chance to combine her passion for science and the environment by educating the community about environmental issues and their respective solutions.
After spending the summer researching and developing a script, Sufi submitted her five-minute film, Human Activities Cause Declining Biodiversity: Solutions to Protect Our Ecosystems. Her film discusses the adverse impacts of climate change, how human activity is a significant cause of declining biodiversity–which is disrupting healthy ecosystems–and how humans can better conserve our planet.
A few months later, the festival co-founder and Executive Director informed Sufi that out of 403 submissions from around the world, her film took the top spot in the middle school category. The jury, comprised of subject matter experts in the field of climate change, stated that Sufi’s film was “... Astonishing, well researched, not overly complicated and compelled viewers of any age to adopt change in their day-to-day behavior.” They added that “ [the film] explains big ideas in a digestible way with lively narration and a subdued musical soundtrack.”
Sufi’s film was invited to be screened at the One Earth Global Film Festival held in Chicago, where the keynote speaker was the internationally acclaimed conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall of the Jane Goodall Institute, a global community conservation organization.
As fate would have it, the festival’s press release caught the attention of writer Josh Reyes with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who interviewed Sufi regarding her award-winning short film and the contest. The interview caught the attention of Ted Terry, Commissioner of DeKalb County’s Super 6 District and former Mayor of Clarkston, Georgia. Commissioner Terry has dedicated his work to addressing environmental and sustainability issues.
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As a response to United States Senators Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s New Green Deal initiative, Commissioner Terry hosted a county-level New Green Deal Summit in October 2023 and invited Sufi to attend and screen her film at the inaugural event. Sufi’s film and efforts were lauded at this event, and she was subsequently honored with a proclamation by the seven DeKalb County Board of Commissioners and the Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County. Her film was screened at the meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners, where she accepted the proclamation and shared her thoughts and vision on climate change and biodiversity.
While Sufi’s efforts have received international and local recognition, she is more excited about the potential impact it will have on society and how it can lead to a safer and healthier world. For these reasons, Sufi decided to participate in the Global Encounters Jubilee Arts Film Festival, which promotes the arts and showcases the artistic excellence of the Jamat. Her film, along with others, was screened at the Rialto Center for Arts in Atlanta, and after a rigorous competition, it qualified for the Global Encounters National Arts Festival to be held in January 2024 in Houston. The National Festival is due to have thirty films screened, with winners proceeding to the Global Encounters International Film Festival to be held in Dubai, UAE in the summer of 2024.
In addition to educating others about climate change through film, Sufi is actively involved in other pastimes and activities. She has played the piano since she was five, plays percussion for her middle school’s band and jazz band, and competes on the robotics team. Sufii has also served on her school's Community Council, which helped achieve the "No Place for Hate" pledge by the Anti-Defamation League. She enjoys learning and is an avid reader, and in her spare time, she can be found on the courts playing basketball for The Westminster Schools or engaging in a game of tennis.
