Centro León also hosted a panel of experts after the screening
Santiago de los Caballeros, September 11th, 2014
Centro León was the venue for the screening that kicked off the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros, the second largest city in the Dominican Republic, during the evening of Thursday, September 11th. Filmmaker Denis Delestrac, who made the documentary film Sand Wars, opened the program of the event in a spectacular manner before an enthusiastic audience. The screenings in Santiago will extend until this coming Sunday, September 14th. The President of Green Planet Films and distributor of the film, Suzanne Harle, came from San Francisco, California, USA, to participate in the event and respond to questions from the audience during a discussion panel that was held after the screening. Engineer Domingo Rodríguez, Santiago’s Provincial Director of the Environment, also participated in the discussion.
The opening ceremony was attended by Luis Felipe Rodríguez, Manager of Cultural Programs at Centro León, and by José de Laura, in charge of Centro León’s Cineforum, both of whom gave the floor to Miryam López, GFDD/FUNGLODE representative.
The public of Santiago received with great enthusiasm the screening of the documentary film, which portrays a shocking picture of the predictions of a growing number of scientists and environmental NGOs, that, at the end of the 21st century, the beaches will be a thing of the past. The film explains how today sand is a vital resource for our modern economies, which makes it the most consumed natural resource on the planet after fresh water, and how its extraction may lead, in a not too distant future, to the destruction of our coastal areas and beaches.
After the screening, some viewers expressed their astonishment at the information provided by the film. “I am in shock,” or “this film has changed my life,” were some of the comments that were heard among the audience.
During the panel, Suzanne Harle referred to the three main reasons that are causing the loss of sand in the Dominican Republic: hurricanes, the loss of coral reefs and the use of sand by the construction industry. However, she underscored that developing countries such as the Dominican Republic still have time to curb the serious problems that the extraction of sand from the beaches are causing to the coastal and marine ecosystems and the environment in general, and highlighted the successful initiatives that governments and corporations around the world have launched thanks to this documentary film.
Meanwhile, Domingo Rodríguez made an exhaustive review of some of the major environmental issues that thrive today all over the beaches and river basins of the country. At the same time, he said that “Dominican tourism is not sustainable because it does not provide balance: there is no respect for the culture of the areas where tourism activity is concentrated or for the natural cycles that affect the environment. It is just a mere economic compensation that does not always include the communities in which it takes place.”
Santiago’s Provincial Director of the Environment added that the beaches of Bayahibe, Samaná, Cabarete, Gaspar Hernández, Sosua and Montecristi are some of those that, at present, display greater erosion in the country.
About the Film Festival
Dozens of films, panel discussions, dialogues and workshops are taking place in 10 cities around the country in the framework of the IV edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), held from September 10th to September 14th, 2014.
Santo Domingo, Baní, San Cristóbal, Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Samaná, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega and San Francisco de Macorís have made it possible for thousands of people to enjoy the complete programming of the fourth installment of the Film Festival on environmental issues, organized by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister organization, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE).
Venues such as the UNPHU, the Loyola College, the Monina Cámpora Cultural Center, Centro León, the Constanza Culture House, Hotel Villa Serena, the Perelló Cultural Center, among many others, have welcomed the screenings and special activities organized as part of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival.
To keep abreast of all the latest news about the Film Festival, please visit: http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/noticias/?lang=en
To view the pictures taken during the Film Festival, please visit: http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/fotos/?lang=en
O ‘Barry, who is the protagonist of the documentary The Cove, received the award from renowned Dominican marine biologist Dr. Idelisa Bonnelly de Calventi. The documentary, starring O’Barry itself, was screened at the event. The production has won eleven international awards, among which are presented: the Audience Award at the 25th US Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award for Best Documentary in 2009.
Extinction in Progress summary: The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is still struggling to get on its feet from the disastrous 2010 earthquake. But the real problem Haiti faces in the near future is the complete degradation of its natural resources. Today, forests cover less than two percent of its territory and scientists predict a mass extinction of Haiti’s biodiversity. Over a three-year period, a team of scientists and naturalists travel to the most remote locations in Haiti to investigate the current state of its biodiversity. Surprisingly, they discover almost 50 new species and rediscover species thought to be lost, including one of the most endangered mammals, the Hispaniolan solenodon.
Save the Devil summary: One is a family of Haitian farmers struggling daily to feed their children and one is a family of birds formerly thought to be extinct living in the last place on Earth they can hide. As starving Haitians burn the remaining trees and move further up the mountains to grow food the birds must move or die. Haiti is almost completely deforested and it is only a matter of time before there are no trees left. The bird, called the Black-capped Petrel by scientist and the Diablotín by locals, is a speaker from the future. The bird is an indicator of what is to come. When the little devil is pushed to extinction the people are not far behind.
Prior to the celebration, guests and organizers of the Film Festival enjoyed the official opening of the DREFF, held at thePalacio del Cine de Ágora Mall in Santo Domingo, with the participation of over 20 international personalities of the environment, about 30 national experts, DREFF advisors in the country, and the general public committee. President of GFDD and FUNGLODE, Dr. Leonel Fernández, attended the opening ceremony, as well as Mrs. Natasha Despotovic, GFDD Executive Director, who welcomed everyone.
President Leonel Fernández, president of GFDD and FUNGLODE, was present at the ceremony, where Ms. Natasha Despotovic, Executive Director of GFDD, offered the opening remarks after a short video introduction of the Film Festival. Ms. Despotovic acknowledged the presence of special national and international guests including Isabel Turull (General Manager of Palacio del Cine), José Rafael Lantigua, Rafael Suárez, Dominican authorities, public, private and NGO collaborators, and distinct attendees to this edition of DREFF as Richard O’Barry, Stuart Sender, Charlotte Vick, Suzan Beraza, among others.
