(Santo Domingo) – More than 100 students and volunteers from the Dominican Association of the United Nations (UNA-DR, by its Spanish Acronym), participated in Jornada de Limpieza en la Calle 20, event organized by the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), which aims to beautify the neighborhood and create awareness about the practices of sustainable waste management.

Staffs of Narciso González Cultural Center and its director, Mr. Luis A. De los Santos, were responsible for extending the invitation to the entire community, in order to create alliances and environmental awareness among residents of the Barrio. With the motivation, experience and creativity of Bertha Santana, coordinator of RECREARTE program participants and the community learned about the importance of practicing the “3Rs” for solid waste management: reduce, reuse and recycle.

The street Marcos Ruiz, formerly known popularly as “20”, is in the area of ​​Villa Juana, in Santo Domingo. This year, the fourth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival and Narciso González Cultural Center joined forces, taking the initiative to clean up this path and create a decorative mural, which will use recycled materials collected during the cleaning.

The IV edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) will be held from 10 to 14 September in 10 cities: Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros, Puerto Plata, San Francisco de Macorís, Baní, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, Samaná, San Cristóbal and Sosúa. All screenings are open to the public, as well as panel discussions, workshops and training sessions.

Since 2011 the DREFF has sought to deepen public awareness and understanding of environmental issues, while serving as a catalyst for the creation of projects and programs that promote responsible environmental practices as a result of the interaction between young people and the general public, experts, activists, filmmakers and leaders in the public and private sectors.

For the full program please visit www.dreff.org DREFF. Join the conversation on sustainable development promoted by followingGFDDorg GFDD andMuestraCine on Twitter, using the hashtags #RDsostenible and #DREFF.

Dozens of films screened, discussion panels, talks and workshops have taken place in 10 Dominican cities under the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), being celebrated September 10-14, 2014.

Cities as Santo Domingo, Baní, San Cristóbal, Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Samaná, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega and San Francisco de Macorís have allowed thousands to enjoy the complete program of the fourth edition of the Environmental Film Festival organized by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister organization Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE).

Venues as UNPHU, Colegio Loyola, Centro Cultural Monina Cámpora, Centro León, Casa de la Cultura de Constanza, Hotel Villa Serena, Centro Cultural Perelló, among others, have hosted the screenings and special activities of DREFF.

To know all the novelties and news of the Festival, visit: http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/noticias/?lang=en

To see all the pictures taken during the Festival, visit: http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/fotos/?lang=en

The movie Pandora’s Promise was screened on September 11^th 2014 at the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE), part of the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) program. The movie, which questions if the nuclear technology could save our planet from a climate catastrophe while providing required energy to bring out of poverty millions of people from the developing world, was followed by an interesting discussion on the subject.

Carlos Encarnación, representative of the Department of Environmental Training and Education of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources of Dominican Republic, as well as other experts and enthusiasts about clean production mechanisms and the audience who attended the screening exchanged impressions and ideas on clean energy and sustainability in Dominican Republic, motivated by the reflections provoked by “Pandora’s Promise”.

“This film let us thinking if nuclear energy is actually an example of clean energy or renewable energy” said Mr. Encarnación while affirming that Dominican Republic needs to start diversifying its energy sources and changing traditional energy sources with others that imply less contamination and expenses.

It is worthy to say that the event also counted with the presence of Mr. Roberto Herrera, InterEnergy Holding General Manager in Dominican Republic and President of ECORED.

Pandora’s Promise synopsis: The atomic bomb and meltdowns like Fukushima have made nuclear power synonymous with global disaster. But what if we’ve got nuclear power wrong? An audience favorite at the Sundance Film Festival, PANDORA’S PROMISE asks whether the one technology we fear most could save our planet from a climate catastrophe, while providing the energy needed to lift billions of people in the developing world out of poverty. In his controversial new film, Stone tells the intensely personal stories of environmentalists and energy experts who have undergone a radical conversion from being fiercely anti to strongly pro-nuclear energy, risking their careers and reputations in the process. Stone exposes this controversy within the environmental movement head-on with stories of defection by heavy weights including Stewart Brand, Richard Rhodes, Gwyneth Cravens, Mark Lynas and Michael Shellenberger. Undaunted and fearlessly independent, PANDORA’S PROMISE is a landmark work that is forever changing the conversation about the myths and science behind this deeply emotional and polarizing issue.

http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/pandoras-promise/?lang=e

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 21^st 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

After the opening celebration of the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) in an event held at the Centro Cultural Monina Cámpora of San Juan de la Maguana, a group of passionate Dominican young people interested in the film industry and moviemaking and who recently took workshops on the subject, talked to Jurgen Hoppe.

The Director of “Extinction in Progress”, a documentary that approaches Haitian main environmental challenges, answered some questions and technical inquiries and gave them recommendations and advices to achieve better results on their cinematographic works in the future.

The event took place on September 11^th, 2014. For more information on the Film Festival visit: www.dreff.org

On September 11th 2014 the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) was inaugurated in San Juan de la Maguana. The opening was a huge success with the Centro Cultural Monina Cámpora completely packed. More than 200 people attended the event and enjoyed the screening of “Extinction in Progress” followed by an interesting and active panel discussion on Haitian main environmental challenges.

Panelists included Jurgen Hoppe, Director of the documentary, Anderson Jean and Maxon Fildor representing Haitian scientists working towards their country’s biodiversity conservancy, and Carlos Martínez from the Philadelphia Zoo, who participated in the project captured by the film. “People are responsible for the world’s loss of biodiversity. We can all collaborate with simple actions in our daily lives to preserve our natural resources” commented Carlos Martínez“We need immediate action to stop Haiti’s biodiversity loss. It is a priority” were a few of the comments made by Jurgen Hoppe, Director of “Extinction in Progress”.

Anderson Jean, biologist and representative of Societé Audubon du Haití answered a question of the audience with the following expression: “Haitian government is making some efforts to stop the more than 100 years deforestation in my country, but the solution is very slow. It is a very complex political, economical and social problem”.

For more information on “Extinction in Progress” visit: http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/extincion-en-progreso/?lang=en

The director of Parrot Confidential described her film as one that gives voice to the birds

Alisson Argo, a leading environmental film director and one of the international guests of the IV edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), participated in the morning of Thursday 11 at the Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil República Dominicana, where she shared with students of different ages and spoke about her film Parrot Confidential.

The filmmaker, who described her work as a film that gives voice to the birds, said that her awareness towards these endangered species started when she “felt the need to speak for the parrot, intelligent birds, but they have no voice with the humans. “

Argo said the Dominican Republic is fortunate because it has endemic birds such as the parrot and the parrots are still wild, while in the United States they no longer exist. The environmentalist invited the young people to protect these birds, which are unique and intelligent animals.

Allison Argo makes films that give voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. This distinguished filmmaker and Emmy winner is known for her powerful stories and intimate portraits of endangered animals, and the problems they face in a world dominated by humans. Parrot Confidential tells us the story of Lou, abandoned in a foreclosed home. Lou is one of thousands of parrots that need to be rescued.

After the film screening, the winner of six Emmys spoke during a panel, as part of the activities of the DREFF, held until Sunday 14. Simon Guerrero, founding member of Grupo Jaragua, and Nelson biologist Marcano García, the Vice Ministry of Biodiversity and Protected Areas, also participated in the discussion group.

The DREFF seeks to foster discussions on sustainable development and global environmental issues and aims to inspire the Dominican public to adopt practices that ensure environmental sustainability of the country and the world.

GFDD aims to raise awareness and deepen understanding of environmental problems worldwide among the Dominican public. However, with the DREFF, GFDD also promotes and even celebrates the beauty and diversity of the natural heritage of the Dominican Republic, offering an insight into the attitudes and actions that ultimately contribute to their recognition, conservation and sustainable use.

For the full program please visit www.dreff.org DREFF. Join the conversation on sustainable development promoted by followingGFDDorg GFDD andMuestraCine on Twitter, using the hashtags #RDsostenible and #DREFF.

Films, conferences and workshops will take place on Friday, 12 in various cities and towns across the country as part of the activities of the IV Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, which will be held from 10 to 14 of September.

Santo Domingo

10:00 am

• Bears – Palacio del Cine-Ágora Mall
• Programa de cortos/Shorts Program – Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil

El agua de la tierra/The Earth’s Water

Maxtlitlán

En un ser vivo/In a Living Being

El funeral de don Jején/The Funeral of Don Jején

Circular

• Trazando los Ecosistemas Marinos y Costeros con Google Ocean/Mapping Coastal Marine

Ecosystems with Google Ocean – Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil República Dominicana

• Cotorra: Una historia secreta/Parrot Confidential – FUNGLODE
• Gente como tú/People Like You – Centro Cultural Narciso González
• ¿Basura o recurso? Experiencia de la República Dominicana/ Garbage or Resource? A

Dominican Republic Experience – Centro Cultural Narciso González

• Jornada de limpieza de la calle 20 – Centro Cultural Narciso González

4:00 pm

• Bears – Biblioteca Infantil y Juvenil República Dominicana
• Trazando los Ecosistemas Marinos y Costeros con Google Ocean/Mapping Coastal  Marine Ecosystems with Google Ocean – FUNGLODE
• Last Call – UNPHU

5:00 pm

• Cotorra: Una historia secreta/Parrot Confidential – Palacio del Cine, Ágora Mall

6:00 pm

• Extreme Realities: Severe Weather, Climate Change, and Our National Security – UNPHU

7:00 pm

• Extinción en proceso/Extinction in Progress – FUNGLODE
• Salvando al diablotín/Save the Devil – FUNGLODE

Baní

10:30 am

• Bears – Centro Cultural Perelló

6:30 pm

• EcoHuertos: Cómo montar un huerto urbano – Centro Cultural Perelló
• Ciudades cultivadas/Growing Cities – Centro Cultural Perelló

La Vega

10:00 am

• 5ta Excursión Educativa al Pico Duarte

5th Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte – Casa de la Cultura de Constanza

• Field Chronicles: Chingaza – The Water’s Journey – Casa de la Cultura de Constanza

5:00 pm

• Years of Living Dangerously: A Dangerous Future – UNPHU, La Vega

6:00 pm

• Google Earth Tour – Ecosistemas marinos y costeros de la República Dominicana/Google Earth Tour: Showcasing the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems of the Dominican Republic – Casa de la Cultura de Constanza

Puerto Plata / Sosúa

9:00 am

• Cordillera Central Dominicana: Oasis del Caribe – Colegio Santa Rosa de Lima

10:30 am

• Planeta Océano/Planet Ocean – Colegio Santa Rosa de Lima

7:00 pm

• La guerra de la arena/Sand Wars – CURA, Puerto Plata

Santiago de los Caballeros

10:00 am

• The Cove – Palacio del Cine, Bella Terra Mall

7:00 pm

• Extinction Soup – Centro Cultural León Jimenes

Samaná

7:00 pm

• Stop! Rodando el cambio – Hotel Villa Serena

San Cristóbal

10:00 am

• Pandora’s Promise – Instituto Politécnico Loyola

5:00 pm

• Gente como tú/People Like You – Liceo Manuel Feliz Peña
• ¿Basura o recurso? Experiencia de la República Dominicana/ Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience – Liceo Manuel Feliz Peña
• Burning in the Sun – Liceo Manuel Feliz Peña

San Francisco de Macorís

9:30 am

• Thin Ice – UCNE, Salón de conferencias, Biblioteca Nazario Rizek-Badia

11:00 am

• La guerra de la arena/ Sans Wars – UCNE, Salón de conferencias, Biblioteca Nazario Rizek-Badia

San Juan de la Maguana

7:00 pm

• Stop! Rodando el Cambio.

The renowned international activist and star of the documentary The Cove, guest of honor at this year’s DREFF, received a special recognition from the Academia del Cine República Dominicana (ACRD), presented Thursday night September 11, for its dedication and commitment to the eradication of torture practices to marine mammals, as well as the release into the environment of all dolphins and whales that are kept in captivity.

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.

The environmental activist, who is also the creator of the Dolphin Project (www.dolphinproject.org), also participated in a conference on Marine Mammals in Captivity with panelists’ Adolfo López of the Environmental Commission of the Academy of Sciences and the marine biologist Oswaldo Vasquez.

During his speech, O’Barry urged the Dominican population to become aware of the problem of overfishing, pollution and captivity of dolphins. “It is important to educate people on these issues both locally and globally,” said marine mammal expert. Also thanked the former president of the Republic, Dr. Leonel Fernández, to prevent, during his tenure, import 12 dolphins that were captured during the Taiji dolphin hunting in Japan a few years ago.

The Cove is an American documentary film that describes the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji National Park, Wakayama in Japan, from the point of view of environmentalists and marine mammal experts recognized.

Ric O’Barry is a former dolphin trainer who after seeing the terrible consequences captivity and forced labor has done to marine mammals, decided to devote the rest of his life to vigorously combating the captivity of these animals. He created the Dolphin Project, an international organization dedicated to the eradication of torture practices to marine mammals and release into the wild of all dolphins and whales that are kept in captivity.

This event is part of the activities of the IV edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, an initiative of GFDD and FUNGLODE.

Visit www.dreff.org to get access to the full program of the IV DREFF. You can also support the sustainable development conversation promoted by GFDD by following @GFDDorg and @MuestraCine in Twitter and using the hashtags #RDsostenible and #DREFF.

Baní, La Vega, Puerto Plata/Sosúa, Samaná, San Francisco de Macorís y San Juan de la Maguana will have simultaneous film screenings, as part of the DREFF

Various Dominican cities around the country will have its official openings on Thursday, 11, as part of the IV edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), held from 10 to 14 September.

In Baní at 6:30 pm, at the Centro Cultural Perelló, the film Ángel Azul of filmmaker Marcy Cravat premieres.

In La Vega at 5:00 pm, at the UNPHU, Ciudades Cultivadas/ Growing Cities of filmmaker Dan Susman, will premier.

In Puerto Plata / Sosúa at 5:00 pm, at the Sosúa Bay Grand Casino, Gringo Trails, directed by filmmaker Pegi Vail, will be screened.

In Samaná at 7:00 pm, at the Hotel Villa Serena Extinction Soup, from director Phillip Waller, will premier.

In San Francisco de Macorís at 3:00 pm at the UCNE- Sala teatro, Auditorio Juan Pablo II Stop! Rodando el Cambio, of directors Alba Gonzalez and Blanca Ordoñez, will debut.

In San Juan de la Maguana at 7:00 pm at the Centro Cultural Center Monina Camporá Extinction in Progress, directed by Jürgen Hoppe, will premier.

All screenings are open to the public, as well as panel discussions, workshops and training sessions.

Visit www.dreff.org to get access to the full program of the IV DREFF. You can also support the sustainable development conversation promoted by GFDD by following @GFDDorg and @MuestraCine in Twitter and using the hashtags #RDsostenible and #DREFF.