The GFDD film, “Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” has been chosen to screen at the upcoming 18th United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), held in California this October. “Garbage or Resource?” has been screened at over a dozen different international film festivals since its production in 2013, and has won several awards including Best Documentary at the Miami Short Film Festival (MSFF), Best Documentary at the Green Lens Environmental Film Festival, and the Second Place Fan Coral Award at the Reef Renaissance Film Festival.
A 28-member jury agreed that the film was in line with the this year’s theme, RUNNING OUT OF TIME, which continues the ongoing celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and focuses on time-sensitive aspects of the Millennium Development Goals.
“Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” is produced by GFDD/Funglode and directed by Natasha Despotovic. It covers the unseen dangers of the 340 open-air landfills that can be found in the Dominican Republic, and the cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development.
Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries.
The UNAFF was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic with the participation of the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a community-based nonprofit organization. The film festival celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, the protection of refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women’s issues, children, universal education, war and peace.
The webpage for the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival is up and running in English and Spanish, just in time to start learning everything you need to know about this year’s films, international guests, panels, workshops, as well as community and special activities that will take place between September 8-13 in ten cities around the Dominican Republic.
The countdown has begun. The calendars are marked and everything you have wanted to know about the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) is now available on the official website. The entertaining and easy to use website will collect information on films, special guests as well as the cities and venues hosting the Festival from September 8-13. It will keep you on top of the screenings and activities that will revolve around a common theme this year: Toward an Agreement on Climate Change, United Nations 2015.
Over 25 venues comprise this year’s DREFF screening network in 10 cities: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Baní, San Francisco de Macorís, Puerto Plata, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, Samaná Bonao and Punta Cana.
Countries represented in this fifth are the Dominican Republic, Cuba, United States, Canada, Mozambique, Spain, France, England, India, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany.
Under three categories – “Personal Habits,” “Public Policies and Business” and “Inspiration”- the DREFF will show a total of 36 films this year, including features, short films, Dominican productions, retrospectives and GFDD’s own film productions.
A group of nearly 40 international and national guests will mix with the public at all film screenings where they will offer workshops, panels and round table discussions about cutting-edge issues in sustainable, socioeconomic development.
A celebration of the seventh art that brings together young people, academics, experts, activists, filmmakers, representatives from the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations as well as a wide-ranging audience from all walks of life, all coming together to promote programs and projects that contribute to protection, conservation and environmental sustainability.
Thanks to our partners and collaborators “Thanks to the invaluable participation of nearly 60 private institutions, both non-governmental and public, every September for the past five years the Festival reaches more than 7,000 viewers, with over 80 free film screenings,” said Natasha Despotovic, Film Festival Director and Executive Director of the GFDD.
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival– an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) – has been providing Dominicans with a platform of knowledge and debate on the environment and sustainable development, its challenges and best practices while celebrating the unique beauty and wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage.
With a diverse selection of films and numerous panels, workshops, seminars and community activities, the DREFF, stressed Ms. Despotovic, “is promoting dialogue and exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation and sustainable use of their environmental resources.”
Fulfilling GFDD/Funglode’s commitment to contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Objectives, the DREFF implements 5 programs that operate throughout the year and work with diverse communities: ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, RDescubre, Globo Verde Dominicano Award and Screening of Environmental Films.
The DREFF is a member of the Green Film Network, an international network that groups together 30 of the most important environmental film festivals in the world.
As part of the 10th International Convention on Environment and Development held in La Habana, Cuba, GFDD’s short film “Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” was screened to a global audience of activists, environmentalists, representatives from public and private sectors, decision-makers, stake-holders, and others from more than 45 countries.
The screening was held on July 7, 2015, at the Climate Change Congress, part of the international convention, celebrated at Habana’s ’Palacio de Convenciones’.
About the Short Film
“Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” is produced by GFDD/Funglode and directed by Natasha Despotovic. It covers the unseen dangers of the 340 open-air landfills that can be found in the Dominican Republic, and the cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development. Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries.
About DREFF
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) aims to raise awareness and deepen the understanding of environmental issues among Dominican audiences, celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage. The festival, first held in 2011, is held each September and hosts a wide selection of high quality films that deal with pressing issues of the environment and climate change, including several panel discussions with environmental experts, filmmakers and stakeholders.
More info: www.dreff.org
About the Convention
The event is hosted every other year by the Environment Agency (AMA) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba, and brings together researchers, authorities, educators, specialists, managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, producers, and other people around the world working for the sustainability of our planet.
The International Affairs and Socio-Economic Development Program Manager of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), Maria Victoria Abreu, participated at the 10th edition of the International Convention on Environment and Development, held July 6 to 10, 2015, at the Havana Convention Centre in Cuba. More than 1,300 participants from 47 countries attended the event.
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), an initiative of GFDD/Funglode, signed a collaborative agreement with The Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), to foster a culture at both institutions in the Dominican Republic that promotes management of natural resources and increases awareness regarding sustainable development. Both parties comprehend the importance of catalyzing the development of projects and programs that promote best practices in the area of environment, the result of interaction between youth and the general public with professors, experts, activists, filmmakers as well as leaders in the public, private, national and international sector.
The agreement was signed by Natasha Despotovic, GFDD Executive Director, and Massiel Cristina Castro, General Coordinator for FUNIBER Dominican Republic. Both parties have committed, within the means at their disposal, to conform to the respective rules for undertaking several actions going forward.
FUNIBER, and its related network, will contribute to the dissemination of programming for the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) and other initiatives undertaken by the DREFF throughout the year. Some of these programs include ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, and the Globo Verde Dominicano Award. FUNIBER will also promote research for students and teachers on issues related to the environment and sustainable development, and create articles the DREFF will evaluate for publication on its blogs and other related media outlets
DREFF and FUNIBER will collaborate with each other when available in activities that are deemed to be of mutual interest, particularly those related to environmental and sustainable development issues in addition to communication, audiovisual and multimedia.
Natasha Despotovic said that the partnership “is an excellent opportunity to endorse the environmental programs implemented in the context of the DREFF throughout the year such as ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, the Globo Verde Dominicano Award, and Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, among others, and in turn integrate FUNIBER’s activities and networks.”
DREFF aims to raise awareness and deepen the understanding of environmental issues among Dominican audiences. The Festival also celebrates the beauty and diversity of the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage and offers insights into attitudes and actions that will contribute to its appreciation, conservation and sustainable use.
About FUNIBER
The Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER) is a foundation that functions within the world of academia as well as professional training.
FUNIBER seeks to disseminate and share European and Latin American knowledge. Since its founding in 1997 in Barcelona, Spain, FUNIBER has grown continuously, creating an academic and professional network with more than 30 countries. This includes people from more than 60 universities from Europe, the USA and Latin America, as well as prestigious businesses, and renowned international organizations.
Dozens of students from the health and education fields at the Catholic University of Technology of Barahona (UCATEBA, by its acronym in Spanish) participated in the screening of the documentary Extinction in Progress, as part of the year round environmental screenings of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF). This activity is part of the interagency agreement signed this year between the DREFF and the Red de Universidades Ambientales (RAUDO), through which, among other things, a schedule of projections is developed all-year-round.
Porfirio López Vasquez, Administrative Vice Chancellor of higher learning said that “the full activity surpassed all expectations for us and for a lot of our students because of the message with the film.”
Extinction in Progress is a documentary directed by Jürgen Hoppe and filmed in Haiti, the poorest of the Western Hemisphere, which relates the problem of the degradation of country’s natural resources. Today, the ecosystem of forests cover less than 2% of its territory and scientists predict a massive loss of biodiversity. During filming they discovered nearly 50 new species and rediscovered species that were originally thought to be lost, including one of the most endangered mammals in Hispaniola, the solenodonte (Solenodonparadoxus).
In this sense, the intention of DREFF is “to organize and support initiatives for sustainable development and protection of natural resources, and promote environmental awareness in the Dominican Republic,” explains the coordinator of environmental programs of GFDD/Funglode, Shamir Omar Reynoso.
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, which this year celebrates its 5th edition from September 8 to 13, has created and developed five programs that operate freely throughout the year and contribute significantly to sustainable socioeconomic development in the Dominican Republic: EcoHuertos, ReCrearte, RDescrubre, the Globo Verde Dominicano Award, and Year-Round Environmental Film Screenings.
