The EcoFocus Film Festival gets under way on Friday in Athens, running for the entire month.

The event will screen a collection of films promoting discussion and awareness of the environment. There are both short films and feature-length productions appealing to environmentally savvy viewers to those new to the world of environmentalism.

Films include the Canadian feature "Addicted to Plastic," "Earth Days," which follows the origin of the modern environmental movement, and "Homegrown," a story of a family in Pasadena, Calif., who decided to live "off the grid."

There are stories of people personally taking on environmental causes, lessons in environmentalism and a look at possible implications of issues such as over fishing and global climate change.

Venues include Cine Arthouse Theater, Hotel Indigo and two theaters on the University of Georgia campus.