In the context of climate emergency and growing environmental precarity, contemporary filmmaking practices demand renewed ethical scrutiny. This paper positions sustainable filmmaking as a mode of artivism that should be assessed within TUT’s film programme curriculum. Drawing on global and South African production contexts, the paper foregrounds the significant carbon footprint left by film production, including energy consumption, transport logistics, and waste generation, such as single-use plastic in on-set catering. While sustainability frameworks promoted by organisations like the Environmental Media Association and the Green Film School Alliance have increasingly shaped international production cultures, their pedagogical application within South African film schools remains underexplored. Furthermore, the researchers, who include film lecturers and students, argue these practices should be part of the undergraduate curriculum to promote sustainable filmmaking in the professional South African film industry. Using the PEACH/PEACHY sustainability framework as a case study, this paper examines how structured sustainability tools can be mobilised within film education as pedagogical instruments and activist strategies. TUT’s film programme is framed as a testing ground for sustainable innovation, serving as a controlled environment where students can engage directly in ethical decision-making, resource management, and environmentally conscious production planning. The proposed presentation further interrogates the rise of generative AI and large models in this context. While proponents call for AI to be employed as “technological solutions” to “save” the film industry, this is actually a paradox given broader environmental concerns, including water scarcity and escalating energy consumption. This is especially concerning in the South African context. Thus, the researchers advocate for a holistic understanding of artivist responsibility in contemporary screen cultures. Ultimately, we argue that embedding sustainable filmmaking practices in film education transforms production into an act of resistance—challenging extractive-industry norms, fostering ecological citizenship, and equipping emerging filmmakers to enact meaningful change in local and global screen industries.