New Horizons School of Santo Domingo, the Perelló de Baní and León de Santiago Cultural Centers hosted the screenings and discussions of this award-winning film.

Santo Domingo, September 12, 2015 – Angela Sun, director of Plastic Paradise, showed her film as part of the 5^th edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF). Ms. Sun traveled to various places around the country to screen her documentary and talk with the Dominican public about the problem of plastic waste and other issues related to environmental protection and sustainable development.

“Education is key to the change we want to see in the world,” said the US-based film director.

In Plastic Paradise, Sun sets off on an investigation regarding the plastic waste our Earth faces. In the early 21st Century, rumors about an island of garbage somewhere in the Pacific Ocean started to rise. There, in what should be a remote tropical paradise, she discovers an ecosystem inundated by plastic waste. The images she uncovers, combined with the latest evidence from researchers, shows that the truth behind the myth is much worse than imagined.

Ms. Sun praised the work of the DREFF for raising awareness among Dominican citizens. “The DREFF is doing a great job in bringing these films to the Dominican Republic.”

Sun said she was pleasantly surprised at the response of the local audiences. “Their enthusiasm and energy at all the screenings was huge and very encouraging.”

About Angela Sun
Award-winning television host/journalist Angela Sun’s passion for storytelling and love for the oceans led to the creation of this ambitious project. A Bay Area Native, she is a graduate of UCLA and also studied abroad at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. A certified EcoDiver, she surveyed the coral reefs of the Andaman Sea as part of the Malibu Reef Check internship program. She serves on the board of advisors for Ocean Defender Hawaii. She has produced for MTV News, ProSeiben Network, and Current TV.

The screening was attended by the director, European filmmaker Denis Delestrac. Cement workers raise awareness in the construction sector during the 5th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival

Santo Domingo – This Thursday, September 10, together with representatives from the construction, mining, and cement production industries, the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (ADOCEM) sponsored a screening of the film Sand Wars and a discussion panel as part of the 5th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF).

The event, held in the auditorium of the New Horizons Bilinguial School (which also supported the screening), was accompanied by the film’s director and screenwriter, renowned European filmmaker Denis Delestrac, dubbed “the French Michael Moore” by the U.S. press, and one of the most esteemed and influential documentary directors of the decade.

Julissa Báez, executive director of ADOCEM, gave the opening address and moderated the discussion panel. The screening was sponsored as part of the organization’s activities to raise environmental awareness on sustainability in the cement and construction industries as well as the appropriate use of the country’s natural resources, according to ADOCEM.

Báez introduced Sand Wars as a French-Canadian documentary on the market for sand, a raw material that has awakened a similar appetite, at the global level, as those for oil and gas. “The documentary warns of the economic, geopolitical, and environmental consequences of the boom in demand [for sand] and its improper extraction,” Baéz told the audience.

“This is why we at ADOCEM are raising the warning flag, via the message in this film, to motivate members of the construction sector to reflect on the need to use our resources responsibly,” Baéz added in a press release.

The panel included José Sena, engineer and president of the Chamber of Oil and Mining of the Dominican Republic; Susy Gatón, vice president of the Association of Homebuilders and Promoters (ACOPROVI); and the film’s director, Denis Delestrac.

During the discussion, before taking questions from the audience, the panelists offered diverse perspectives on the issues raised in the documentary and linked the topics to what could happen in the Dominican Republic.

The 5th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival runs from September 8 to 13 in eleven cities in the Dominican Republic, covering hot-button issues like recycling, activism, food waste, and animal extinction. The program covers eleven cities nationwide and a total of 30 different screening locations.

Panelists Eleuterio Martínez, Maribel Guevara, and Sésar Rodríguez made the call following the screening of the documentary Antarctica: On the Edge, held at the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic

(Santo Domingo, September 10, 2015). Environmental experts Eleuterio Martínez, Maribel Guevara, and Sésar Rodríguez have invited the public to offer solutions and mechanisms to halt the global warming now affecting the two poles of the earth’s surface.

Global warming is melting glaciers and sea ice, changing precipitation patterns, and forcing animals to migrate, agreed the panelists following the screening of the documentary On the Edge: Antarctica.

The activity, which brought together students, educators, and environmentalists, was part of the programming for the 5th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), being held from Tuesday, September 8, through Sunday, September 13, in eleven cities around the country.

According to agroforestry engineer Eleuterio Martínez, the effects of global warming can be seen in the changes to maritime routes in Europe. “On routes between Holland and Japan it used to be necessary to cover approximately 27,000 kilometers, now they don’t have to circle the African continent but can pass through the north, because the fracturing of ice allows icebreaker ships to go through.”

Sésar Rodríguez, director of the Dominican Environmental Consortium (ACD), affirmed that human-created carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions are what is causing large-scale atmospheric deterioration and provoking global warming.

Rodríguez invited the audience to collectively ponder novel solutions. “With the planting of flora and preservation of protected areas, we can combat CO₂, as plants are the only things that can counteract the problem.”

Maribel Guevara, organizer of the DC Environmental Film Festival, emphasized that environmental preservation is in the hands of all citizens. “We as consumers have the power three times a day, with what we eat, what we wear, how we educate our kids, to care for the environment and preserve our natural resources.”

Dr. Luis Scheker Ortiz moderated the event, held in the Academy of Sciences of the Dominican Republic.

GFDD/Funglode held a screening of The Garden at APEC in Santo Domingo on Friday September 11 at 7PM. The screening took place as part of the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF – www.dreff.org) and was held in the university’s main auditorium before an engaged audience of around 110 people.

The screening focused on the topic of urban farming, as it told the story of a local community fighting to prevent the city council from destroying its community garden in Los Angeles, the largest garden of its kind in the USA.

Marc Jourdan, GFDD UN Representative & Environmental Programs Coordinator, welcomed the students to the auditorium, and thanked them for their attendance. Following the screening, he moderated an engaged discussion between the film’s producer Stuart Sender and the audience.

Sender took the opportunity to explain to the audience that the film was more than just a story about the community and its fight for recognition, it was also a representation of the way the upper class has continuously strived to buy its way out of environmental issues. But on this occasion, the people had decided to fight back regardless of the cost.

The audience was very grateful for Sender’s comments and insight on the issue of urban farming and climate change, as several students stayed behind to further engage with the filmmaker.

Liliana, a business management student at the University, found the documentary to be “an effective way to change people’s outlook on life.”

The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) presented a screening of the documentary Shark Girl at the Hotel Villa Serena in Samana on September 10. The screening drew an audience of over 150, full of local participants to the hotel, without a seat left to spare.

Shark Girl, a film by Gisela Kaufman, tells the story of Madison Stewart, a young woman who has made it her mission in life to help save as many sharks as possible. She dives directly into shark-infested waters in an effort to prove that these animals are not the killing machines popular culture makes them out to be. Even while feeding dozens of them by hand out of a bait box, Madison says she has never felt fear around sharks. However, their numbers are slowly dwindling. Due to unregulated fishing practices, over 90% of sharks have disappeared from our oceans. The shark fin trade especially has taken a toll on the number of sharks.

The audience for the screening was clearly moved and motivated by the film. “It was an excellent and motivating movie,” said attendee Luis Antonio Smith King. “It brings awareness to people about the protection of marine species, especially sharks, as many people think they are dangerous animals. This movie helped us to see them with different eyes.”

GFDD/Funglode held a screening of Landfill Harmonic at APEC in Santo Domingo on Friday September 11 at 10AM. The screening took place as part of the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF – www.dreff.org) and was held in the university’s main auditorium before an engaged audience of around 100 people.

Landfill Harmonic follows the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a Paraguayan musical group that plays instruments made entirely out of garbage. When their story goes viral, the orchestra is catapulted into the global spotlight. The screening focused on the topic of human resilience in the face of adversity, as it told the story of the group.

Marc Jourdan, GFDD UN Representative & Environmental Programs Coordinator, welcomed the students to the auditorium, and thanked them for their attendance. Following the screening, a lively debate took place between the audience, Jeff Spitz, Director of the film Food Patriots and David Guggenheim, Director of the film Ocean Doctor.

Spitz gave the audience an overview of what makes an effective story for an environmental documentary while Guggenheim highlighted his background as a marine biologist and engaged the audience on the issues discussed in the film. He praised the level of interaction between them and the audience and confirmed it gave him a lot of hope for the future.

Rosa Reyes Uribe, a student of International Studies at APEC, stated “It seems that the message of the film is a call to action for all of us as we are, in a moment when our planet needs our help.”

Students and teachers learned more about how to be healthy by eating good food.

On Thursday September 10, the 5^th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) screened the film Food Patriots at Loyola School.

The movie is about various proponents of food awareness, people who seek to undertake a revolution to change food consumption, and how food is grown and bought in the United States while educating the next generation of consumers.

The screening activity was attended by the film’s directors, Jennifer Amdur Spitz and Jeff Spitz, who shared their experiences with Loyola teachers and high school students.

The teachers were enthusiastic and grateful for the efforts being made by the festival to promote sustainable development in the Dominican Republic. “As always, the DREFF is bringing films that make us think and that motivate us to take action along with our students, in favor of the environment and health,” said Diana Murcia, one of the teachers at Loyola.

“The activity was fabulous. Now I have more tools to motivate my students to eat healthy food,” added Teodista Céspedes, another schoolteacher.

Funglode’s headquarters was the site of one of the workshops taught at this year’s Dominican Environmental Film Festival: DSLR Technology: Low-cost films with a social impact. Gabriel Romero, photographer, filmmaker, and Mexican film professor, based in the United States; and Manuel Villalona, a Dominican filmmaker and photographer, shared their knowledge on the possibilities of new technologies, and most of all DSLR devices, in creating low-cost productions.

“There are no excuses. All it takes is talent, a good story and willingness. The type of camera and the equipment isn’t important anymore,” the professors said.

Around 25 students learned that the artists behind the camera do not need enormous budgets or large producers to make quality, impactful films; they only need good stories.

After the workshop, Alicia Peña, a social communication student at the Catholic University, said “Cinema has always been considered to be out of the reach of us people who don’t have the resources, because people always say that it costs millions of dollars to make a great production. However, this workshop shows that you can make films on a small budget. Start with a short film. The good thing to do is to find a good story, make sure it’s solid, and then get started; look for cameras that aren’t that expensive; an iPhone is even an option. We can see that there is a way to make good films without a lot of money.”

(Punta Cana, September 10, 2015) The Galerías Comerciales of Puntacana Village provided the venue for the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) in Punta Cana, with the screening of Landfill Harmonic and the movie’s protagonists, the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, from Paraguay.

Several other short films inspired by environmental issues were also shown and looked at issues such as solid waste management, the benefits of bees, the situation of coral and coral reefs, and the Gavilán de la Hispaniola (the hawk of Hispaniola). All of these projects were developed by the Puntacana Ecological Foundation and carried out by a group of students from various schools around the country, which participate in the Puntacana Academy of Environmental Film.

Words of welcome were offered by DREFF Director of Programming, María Victoria Abreu, while an appreciation speech was given by Haydée Kuret de Rainieri, of the Grupo Puntacana. Ms. Kuret said, “The group is an example for young people all around the world to follow.”

After the presentations, the audience enjoyed a moving concert given by the Orchestra, under the direction of Favio Chávez, who said he “hoped their story would inspire young people and adults to explore different ways to turn trash into something beautiful.”

The young members of the orchestra toured the facilities of the Puntacana Resort & Club where they learned about the environmental programs implemented by the Fundación Ecológica de Puntacana. They also exchanged experiences with a group of students from Politécnico Ann & Ted Kheel and the Puntacana International School.

About Grupo Puntacana
Pioneers in tourism development in the Punta Cana region – Bávaro in the Dominican Republic – the group has a long and respectable history of more than 45 years of working in this field. The Grupo Puntacana has played a leading role in the development of the region. Its impact on the national economy as well as its stability, diversity and commitment to sustainable development have made it a point of reference in the national and international tourism sectors and has consolidated the group as developers of tourist destinations.

The acclaimed director and photographer will receive the Colibrí Prize during the event

GFDD/Funglode is excited to announce that Oscar winning filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, director of the documentary Racing Extinction, will be present as a guest of honor for the closing night of the 2015 Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF). Louie Psihoyos will be the recipient of a special award for Inspirational Documentary Films, the Colibrí award.

Louie Psihoyos is the Executive Director of the Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS), and is widely regarded as one of the world’s most prominent still photographers. He has circled the globe dozens of times for National Geographic and has shot hundreds of covers for other magazines including Fortune Magazine, Smithsonian, and Discover. His work has also been seen on the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Television, and the History Channel. His imagination, wit, and iconic imagery have helped illustrate a wide array of complex subjects and is carried over to his filmmaking. In 2009 he directed and appeared in the feature-length documentary The Cove, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.

Racing Extinction brings viewers on an undercover operation to expose the hidden world of endangered species and the race to protect them against mass extinction. Spanning the globe to infiltrate the world’s most dangerous black markets and using high tech tactics to document the link between carbon emissions and species extinction, Racing Extinction reveals stunning, never-before seen images that truly change the way we see the world.

About the DREFF
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF)- 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, along with 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 promotes dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, and sustainable use of their environmental resources.

DREFF app:
Apple (iTunes): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dreff/id1029535649?mt=8
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.sched.dominicanrepublicenvironmen2015

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