DREFF Short Films Productions

Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte

The vital experience of the 45 students and nine teachers from three public schools of Santo Domingo, participating in the first Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte (the highest elevation in the Caribbean), led by the Dominican, Everest veteran mountaineer, Karim Mella, is loyally reflected in this short. The adventure the participants went through, including a rigorous learning program of the environment and geography of the area, the dramatic moments they shared and the personal growth, can be clearly appreciated on each frame of the short.

The Growth of Lake Enriquillo: Environmental, Social and Scientific Implications

The development of a natural phenomenon as the growth of lake Enriquillo in the Dominican Republic offers and invaluable opportunity to present this short, produced by DREFF, documenting the event that has mobilized academia, scientists, the authorities in several areas of the public sector, the private sector of the area and international development agencies. The to this date unexplainable growth of lake Enriquillo and the overflow of its salt water on the surrounding fields has devastating consequences for the farmers and neighboring communities. The event presents an invaluable opportunity to watch almost live the application of so many engineering theories, territorial reorganization, assistance to displaced communities, coordinating multidisciplinary actions and maximizing risk management.

Google Earth Tour showcasing the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Dominican Republic

The DR Environmental Film Festival joined Google Earth and the Sylvia Earle Alliance to show to the world the coastal and maritime ecosystems of the Dominican Republic. The first tour in Spanish of the oceans in Google with information about the coastal and maritime ecosystems of the country was produced by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development and Google Earth and the Sylvia Early Alliance. The program “Explore the Ocean” collects local stories and knowledge about the health of the oceans and the atmosphere, the science and exploration of the protected marine areas and their human connections. This first-ever contribution in Spanish has the purpose of educating about the exuberant biodiversity and rich endemism of the Dominican Republic, as well as motivating other countries to be part of the initiative.

The experience, the content of which came out of the Dominican Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Environment, has been made into a ten-minute documentary that was presented at a Dialogue on Sustainable Development, which preceded the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.