As part of Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, a program of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, a group of students from Escuela Niños del Mundo in Punta Rucia, Puerto Plata, enjoyed the documentary Dominican Republic Biodiversity and the children short film The Change. The activity was a success, with the participation of teachers, administrative staff and all students of the campus.

Dominican Republic Biodiversity uncovers the natural wealth of the Dominican Republic in order to encourage its appreciation and conservation. Meanwhile, the animated short The Change tells the story of a small town that is disturbed by a mysterious machine that causes significant changes in the lifestyle of the village where life develops.

The screening was made with the aim of promoting, through audiovisual media, the value of the flora and fauna that are of great importance in the Dominican Republic, together with good practices that respond to sustainable development. After the projection a fun activity took place in which the children colored native and endemic species of the country.

Before the screening, the students had a very significant gesture, explains the GFDD Coordinator of Environmental Programs in the Dominican Republic, Omar Shamir Reynoso. The 47 students drew with pencils on paper bond the lessons they learned during the projection, on the 25 of November of 2015, of ¿Basura o Recurso? Una experiencia de la República Dominicana y Planeta Océano. In the coming months more screenings of environmental documentaries will follow, with the aim of promoting the training of students.

About the Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the DREFF
As part of its mission to reach more communities, institutions and individuals around the country, the DR Environmental Film Festival organizes film screenings year-round, providing the opportunity to bring successful film programs to new and remote communities. By showing a diverse selection of quality films on critical environmental issues and organizing discussions and workshops, the year-round film screenings seek to foster and inspire dialogue, raise awareness and promote sustainable practices.

More Information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org

The program Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the Dominican Republic Environmenral Film Festival began this year on January 25, with the presentation of the documentary “Cotton Road” in the ITSC San Luis in Santo Domingo. About 60 students participated in the activity that is part of the Film Forum program of the school and is celebrated thanks to the agreement signed between the DREFF -a GFDD / Funglode initiative- and ITSC.

Cotton road exposes the Americans consumption of nearly 20 billion new items of clothing each year and follows the commodity of cotton from South Caroline farms to Chinese factories to illuminate the work and industrial processes in a global supply chain.

This activity is part of Film Forum program and the agreement signed between GFDD and ITSC in order to promote best practices and sustainable socio-economic development. The program aims to promote art and culture, and raise awareness among students, faculty and staff on protecting the environment through cinema.

This partnership benefits the students pursuing various academic programs at the ITSC, providing them with the necessary tools to understand and develop best practices on environmental issues.  The Film Forum, scheduled every Friday, will continue in the coming months with projections of environmental documentaries.

About the Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the DREFF
As part of its mission to reach more communities, institutions and individuals around the country, the DR Environmental Film Festival organizes film screenings year-round, providing the opportunity to bring successful film programs to new and remote communities. By showing a diverse selection of quality films on critical environmental issues and organizing discussions and workshops, the year-round film screenings seek to foster and inspire dialogue, raise awareness and promote sustainable practices.

More Information:  www.globalfoundationdd.org

The 15th Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte, part of the initiatives of the RDescubre program, was successfully held when 75 students from Liceo Escuela Hermano Miguel from Santiago, Liceo Profesora Mercedes Muñoz, Fe y Alegría from Cambita el Pueblecito (San Cristobal), and Politécnico Ann and Ted Kheel from Veron (Punta Cana), had the opportunity to climb Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean.

The event, organized by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) in collaboration with the Siempre Más Foundation, Punta Cana Foundation, and Angel Guard, took place from January 14th to 17th. The alpinist Karim Mella, President of the Siempre Más Foundation, coordinated the expedition.

The RDescubre program is a GFDD initiative which aims to provide underserved students and communities with the opportunity to take part in educational expeditions all over the Dominican Republic as a way of seeing and appreciating the country’s beautiful landscapes and the wealth of its natural resources.

By immersing these participants in natural environments, the expeditions connect them to nature through positive enduring experiences thereby motivating greater environmental stewardship.

Through these adventures, participants are inspired to become activists in their own local communities and to work together for a common cause, while inspiring others through their experiences.

More information: www.globalfoundationdd.org

Racing Extinction, a documentary directed by Louie Psihoyos, which closed the fifth edition of the Dominican Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) has been nominated for Best Original Song at the 2016 Oscars. The movie The Cove –by the same director and also part of the programming of fourth DREFF- already won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2010.

Furthermore, the documentary, which presents the audience with a covert operation whose aim is to reveal the hidden world of endangered species and the race against time of those who fight against mass extinction, has been one of the most watched in the history of television, since it premiered in December 2015 by Discovery Channel in more than 220 countries.

The director, Louie Psihoyos, presented the film at the closing ceremony of the 2015 DREFF gala in September 2015. During the closing ceremony, in addition to receiving the Colibrí Award as guest of honor, Louie spoke with the audience in an interesting question and answer session where he offered some details on the filming of both productions, highlighting that some scenes were filmed in the Dominican Republic.

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.

Related Links:
http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/dreff2015/la-pelicula-racing-extinction-y-su-laureado-director-louie-phsyhoyos-coronaron-ayer-un-total-de-120-proyecciones-del-dreff/
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/12/racing-extinction-clip
http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/best-original-song-nominations-2016-oscars