Artists & Activists Become Artivists This Thursday at 8th Annual Film Festival

Screengrab from Artivist Film Festival promo video.

The eighth annual Artivist Film Festival, produced by the nonprofit Artivist Collective, Inc., premieres this Thursday, August 18, at The Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Dedicated to raising awareness for international human rights, children's advocacy, environmental preservation and the human treatment of animals, the festival screens films that expose such topics, drawing crowds of environmentalists, philanthropists, humanitarians and artists.

And to top this do-gooder cinema sundae is the extra cherry on top - the screenings are free. They will sell out, so advanced tickets are recommended.

Numerous films, both short and feature, will screen and are detailed in the online program.

The festival also honors celebrities "'artivist' (activist+artist) for their philanthropic work," and this year's honoree is the lovely Kristen Bell. To catch a glimpse of the social conscious actress, stop by the Egyptian for Saturday's red carpet awards ceremony, commencing at 6pm. Ceremony tickets are also free and can be reserved online.

The festival closes its curtains on Saturday, August 20.