GFDD and the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival Showcase at the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital

Washington DC, March 17, 2013

Between March 12-24, GFDD and the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival will be partnering with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital and contributing to the Spanish speaking program of the Festival with two short films, De Espaldas al Mar and Lake Enriquillo: Environment, Social and Scientific Implications.

Both shorts, in Spanish with English subtitles, will be screened on March 22 at 6:15pm, at the Gala Hispanic Theater in Washington, D.C. located at 3333 14th St. N.W as part of the program Living Waters, Ocean Life. The shorts will be introduced by GFDD's Executive Director, Natasha Despotovic, and will include the participation of the director of De Espaldas al Mar, Armando Larrauri, who will be part of a Q&A session at the end of the screenings.

About the short films:

El crecimiento del Lago Enriquillo / The Growth of Lake Enriquillo: Environment, Social and Scientific Implications
(Dominican Republic, 2012, 16 min, produced by GFDD)
Lake Enriquillo is located in a rift valley that extends from Port-au-Prince Bay in Haiti to near Neiba Bay in the Dominican Republic. The documentary investigates the reasons behind the recent growth of Lake Enriquillo from 164 km2 to 350 km2 in the last seven years. These include increased rainfall, sediment run-off from deforestation and other environmental occurrences, all of which are having a negative effect on nearby towns and residents. In Spanish with English subtitles.

De Espaldas al Mar / With Our Backs to the Sea
(Dominican Republic, 2012, 9 min, directed by Armando Larrauri.)
This short film looks at major threats facing our coasts and oceans: overfishing, especially the parrotfish and sea turtles, and the negative role of invasive predators, like the lionfish, that inhabit coral reefs. One solution lies in catching and consuming the lionfish, which have no natural predators and reducing their population – a good option for fishermen and consumers seeking a delicious source of nutrition. Testimony from fishermen and marine biologists as well as film footage from around the Dominican Republic will shed light on the state of our oceans. In Spanish with English subtitles.

The Nation's Capital Festival, of which GFDD is now part, has become one of the world's largest and most influential showcases of environmental film and a major collaborative cultural event in Washington, D.C.  GFDD will be able to attend screenings and network at cultural events on behalf of its own Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, slated for September 4-8, 2013.

About the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, DC
Founded in 1993, the Festival seeks to advance public understanding of the environment through the power of film. Each March the Festival presents a diverse selection of high quality environmental films, including many Washington, D.C., U.S. and World premieres. Documentaries, narratives, animations and shorts are shown, as well as archival, experimental and children's films at venues throughout the city. Films are screened at museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters and are attended by large audiences. Selected to provide fresh perspectives on global environmental issues, most Festival films are accompanied by discussions with filmmakers, environmental experts and special guests, including national decision makers and thought leaders, and are free to the public in most of the places where the projections will take place.

DREFF Screenings: The Growth of Lake Enriquillo: Environment, Social and Scientific Implication and De Espaldas al Mar.
Date: March 22, 2013
Time: 6:15pm
Location: GALA Hispanic Theatre
3333 14th St., NW
(Metro: Columbia Heights)
Washington, DC 20010

Links:
DC Environmental Film Festival 2013
http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/films/show/1069
Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival 2012
www.dreff.org