Connect4Climate announced today the launch of the Film4Climate Global Video Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Bernardo Bertolucci (The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris) will serve as the jury president of the competition.
Bertolucci is joined on the jury by luminaries of cinema, media and the environment, including President Mohamed Nasheed, climate champion and former president of the Maldives, producer Lawrence Bender (An Inconvenient Truth, Pulp Fiction), Oscar®-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy (Saving Face, A Girl in the River), Oscar®-nominated director Robert Stone (Radio Bikini, Pandora’s Promise), director Mika Kaurismaki (Zombie and the Ghost Train), director Pablo Trapero (Carancho, El Clan), producer Martin Katz (Hotel Rwanda), Ann Hornaday, Chief Film Critic of The Washington Post, Carole Tomko, General Manager and Creative Director of Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions, Maria Wilhelm, Executive Director of the Avatar Foundation, Pat Mitchell, President and CEO of the Paley Center for Media, Rose Kuo, CEO and Artistic Director of the Qingdao International Film Festival, and Mark Lynas, author and environmentalist (The God Species, Six Degrees).
Connect4Climate Program Manager, Lucia Grenna, announcing the new competition at Cannes. Photo credit: Max Bartoli, Connect4Climate
Winners of the Film4Climate Global Video Competition will be announced at an official awards event at the COP 22 climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco in November 2016, in cooperation with the UNFCCC, the Ministry of Environment of Morocco and other partners.
“Cinema is among the most powerful medium when it comes to advancing social causes, triggering social change, and encouraging positive revolution. So why shouldn’t it play the same role in tackling Climate Change? We are looking forward to showing the positive stories and solutions from young filmmakers worldwide at COP 22 in Morocco” said Ghizlane Haloui, Advisor for Cultural Mobilization - COP22.
Ghizlane Haloui , Cultural Advisor to H.E. Dr. Hakima El Haite, Delegate Minister in Charge of Environment, Morocco and COP22 Host, speaking at Film4Climate Working Session at the Cannes Film Festival 2016. Photo Credit: Alenka Slavinec
Lucia Grenna, Program Manager for Connect4Climate, announced the details of the competition at the Film4Climate Conference, on May 16 at the Plage Royale in Cannes. At the conference, partners exchanged ideas about the development of global standards for sustainable film production. They also advanced discussions regarding international collaboration amongst the program partners to ensure increased exposure and support of climate-focused film and video content. Select jurors and competition partners were present.
Film producer, Lawrence Bender, speaking at Film4Climate conference in Cannes. Photo credit: Dan Thomas
Grenna states, “Climate change requires immediate action at all levels across the world. Our global partnership program aims to empower young people by giving a voice to their vision. We have the science and policy to address climate change, but we need creativity to make it actionable at the individual level. The impact of visual storytelling is essential to communicating the ideas and solutions that are needed to tackle this crisis. Connect4Climate is all about connecting the dots, and the competition aims to amplify opportunities for young creative artists everywhere to bring their personal stories to a global audience.”
Paul Allen’s Vulcan Productions is the exclusive production partner of the competition, and will offer winners an opportunity to have Vulcan distribute their content worldwide. Vulcan Productions will provide overarching support to all areas of Film4Climate Global Video Competition, including promotional and social media. The company will also offer a summer internship in Seattle, Washington, to a college-aged winner.
Carole Tomko, General Manager and Creative Director of Vulcan Productions, states, “Supporting young and aspiring filmmakers is a critical part of our mission, and we believe that storytelling is a powerful tool, not only in driving awareness but in catalyzing behavior change. C4C has been a tremendous partner in our climate initiatives and we are looking forward to joining forces with them, and to collaborating closely with the filmmakers submitting their creative work to the competition.”
The Film4Climate Global Video Competition invites aspiring young filmmakers from around the world to express their vision for a sustainable future by creating a short film or video about climate action. The competition calls on filmmakers to explore Climate Action, the 13th goal under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing what individuals and communities around the world are doing to promote action, offer solutions and inspire positive change to combat climate change and its impacts. Filmmakers are encouraged to deploy personal narratives that explore fundamental questions such as: What does climate change mean to me? What actions am I taking to mitigate the advance of global warming? What is my Climate Action message to the world?
Films must be five minutes or less to qualify, and the competition is open to filmmakers between 14 to 35 years old. Submissions will be open through September 15. For full competition rules and eligibility requirements, please visit: connect4climate.org
“Climate change is a global challenge that does not respect people or national borders,” said Dan Thomas, Communications Director for the Office of the President of the UN General Assembly. “Here’s an opportunity for a new generation of filmmakers to help inspire us with stories about how people are already working together to build a sustainable, low-carbon future for all.”
Dan Thomas, Communications Director and Spokesperson, President of the 70th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, speaks at Film4Climate Working Session at the Cannes Film Festival 2016. Photo Credit: Alenka Slavinec
Enel is an official partner of the Film4Climate Global Video Competition. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are particularly relevant to the Enel Group since the company is actively committed to several SDGs, including access to electricity, education and inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Enel is targeting carbon neutrality by 2050. This film making initiative supports the achievement of SDG 13, calling for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
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