DREFF Will Convene Press Conference on August 29 in Puerto Plata

New York, August 27, 2012

On Wednesday, August 29, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), in collaboration with Clúster Turistico del Destino Puerto Plata (Tourism Cluster Destination Puerto Plata) will convene a press conference in Puerto Plata at the Gobernación Provincial at 5:00 pm to promote the upcoming Festival to be celebrated September 5-9 in the cities of Puerto Plata, Santo Domingo, San Francisco de Marcorís, Santiago de los Caballeros, Punta Cana, Baní and Sosua.

The 2012 edition of the Festival will feature screenings of 24 acclaimed documentary films, panel discussions, workshops, training sessions and community outreach activities.

In Puerto Plata, DREFF will present five screenings followed by panel discussions and question and answer sessions in two venues, Asociación Cultural Sueños de Colores and La Fortaleza de San Felipe.

Program for Puerto Plata

Venues

Asociación Cultural Sueños de Colores
Teatro Escuela Iván García
C/ Prof. Juan Bosch #60

La Fortaleza de San Felipe
Avenida General Gregorio Luperón
Extremo Oeste Malecón, Puerto Plata

THURSDAY, September 6, 7:30 pm – Asociacion Cultural Sueños de Colores

Vegucated
Synopsis: Vegucated is a feature-length documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks. There’s Brian, the bacon-loving bachelor who eats out all the time; Ellen, the single mom who prefers comedy to cooking, and Tesla, the college student who avoids vegetables and bans beans. They have no idea that so much more than steak is at stake and that the fate of the world may fall on their plates. Lured with true tales of weight lost and health regained, they begin to uncover hidden sides of animal agriculture and soon start to wonder whether solutions offered in films like Food, Inc. go far enough. Before long, they find themselves risking everything to expose an industry they supported just weeks before.

But can their conviction carry them when times get tough? What about on family vacations fraught with skeptical step-dads, carnivorous cousins, and breakfast buffets?

Part sociological experiment, part science class, and part adventure story, Vegucated showcases the rapid and at times comedic evolution of three people who share one journey and ultimately discover their own paths in creating a kinder, cleaner, greener world, one bite at a time.

FRIDAY, September 7, 5:00 pm – Asociación Cultural Sueños de Colores

Waste Land
Synopsis: Filmed over nearly three years, Waste Land follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home base in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world's largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to re-imagine their lives. Director Lucy Walker (Devil’s Playground, Blindsight and Countdown to Zero) and co-directors João Jardim and Karen Harley have great access to the entire process and, in the end, offer stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.

FRIDAY, September 7, 7:00 pm – La Fortaleza de San Felipe

Discover La Vega: Pride of My Land
Synopsis: This documentary recreates the religious beliefs, folkloric manifestations, natural diversity, history and cuisine of the province of a La Vega and its municipalities, which include La Vega, Jarabacoa, Constanza and Jima Abajo.

SATURDAY, September 8, 5:00 pm – Asociación Cultural Sueños de Colores

The Whale
Synopsis: An extraordinary true story of contact between species, The Whale, narrated by Ryan Reynolds, is a classic combination of star power and grassroots heart.
When a young male orca, nicknamed Luna, loses contact with his family in a fjord on the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island, he overthrows the established order of humans versus everything else with his determination to make friends with people. Through his life among us, he challenges all our preconceptions, from politics to science to the spirit, even making us rethink our most fundamental ideas about the nature of love and friendship.

Filled with laughter, amazement, tears, and drama, The Whale is a life-affirming film with demonstrated appeal to all audiences.

SATURDAY, September 8, 7:00 pm – La Fortaleza de San Felipe

All screenings are free and open to the public.

Download Invitation

About DREFF
Launched by GFDD and FUNGLODE September of last year, DREFF raises awareness and deepens understanding of environmental issues among Dominican audiences, while celebrating the beauty and diversity of the country’s natural heritage. Through screening a diverse selection of high-quality films on matters of environmental concern, and organizing panel discussions with environmental experts, filmmakers and other stakeholders, the Festival seeks to foster dialogue and to inspire Dominican audiences to adopt practices that will ensure the health and environmental sustainability of the country.

By bringing together youth, scholars, experts, activists, filmmakers, representatives of public, private and nongovernmental institutions and the general public, the Festival promotes programs and projects that contribute to environmental protection, conservation and sustainability.

For latest information on films visit our website at: www.drenvironmentalfilmfestival.org