GFDD/Funglode are excited to announce the availability of the new app for the upcoming Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF)! With the app, you can access information on film panels, workshops, activities, exhibit listings, and more!
Check the daily schedules to see what films are being screened and where. Browse the Attendees to find out more about your favorite filmmakers and other special guests at the DREFF. Pull open the map to see screening locations and more of the beautiful country in which the festival takes place.
This application is available in the iPhone App Store and Google Play. Download it today to have all the information for DREFF 2015 right in the palm of your hand!
The disappearance and extinction of animals has become a more popular topic over the last several years. With poaching, trophy hunting, and illegal fishing practices making headlines in the news now more than ever, more people are starting to wonder what they can do. Gambling on Extinction, which will be shown at the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) focuses on this topic and explores our options. Director Jakob Kneser will be in attendance as a special guest at the screenings of his movie during the DREFF.
Gambling on Extinction, directed by Jakob Kneser, focuses on a story about greed and a merciless battle over a limited resource: wild elephants and rhinos. It is in fact the dark side of globalization: Ivory and rhino horn have become lucrative commodities. It is now a 20 billion dollar a year business, the most lucrative after drugs and weapons and has been taken over by powerful, connected, heavily armed international syndicates.
Gambling on Extinction will be shown at several locations during the festival, including: Santo Domingo- INTEC, APEC, New Horizons and USCD; San Juan de la Maguana- Centro Cultural Monina Cámpora; and Bonao- Cinema Oasis.
About Jakob Kneser:
Jakob Kneser grew up in Munich and Bonn. After graduating in philosophy, history and religious sciences, Kneser worked as editor at a music TV channel based in Cologne, before making a name for himself as a director and author. Since 2002 he has made numerous reports, features and documentaries for arts and science television programs such as ARD, ZDF, 3Sat, and ARTE. Since his film End of a Legend in 2006 he has been working closely with a&o buero film production, becoming partner of the company in 2010. Kneser lives with his family in Bonn.
About the DREFF:
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF)- an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) -has been providing Dominicans with a platform of knowledge and debate on the environment and sustainable development, along with its challenges and best practices while celebrating the unique beauty and wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage.
With a diverse selection of films and numerous panels, workshops, seminars, and community activities, the DREFF promotes dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, and sustainable use of their environmental resources.
By bringing together young people, scholars, experts, activists, filmmakers, representatives from the public and private sector, non-governmental organizations, as well as wide audiences from all walks of life, the Festival promotes programs and projects that contribute to environmental protection, conservation, and sustainability.
The 5th edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) is proud to present the Recycled Orchestra of Cautera and its Director, Favio Chávez, as guests of honor and the stars of the DREFF opening night. Opening night will be held in Santo Domingo on September 8th at the Palacio del Cine de Ágora Mall and will feature a screening of the film starring the Orchestra, Landfill Harmonic. The Recycled Orchestra of Cautera will also be traveling to Punta Cana, where they’ll participate in a special presentation on September 10th at 8:00 pm, in the Puntacana Village.
What some consider exclusively waste or trash, for others are raw materials to make instruments. Thus was born the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, directed by Favio Chávez and formed by children and adolescents living in the precarious community of Bañado Sur, located around the main dump in Asuncion, Paraguay. What distinguishes this orchestra from others is their ingenuity and uniqueness to create and use handmade instruments from trash rescued from the dumpsters.
These artists managed to turn what were once distant dreams into reality, thanks to their unparalleled talent and good will for the environment. They have not only become famous in their country but have also crossed new frontiers, including touring with the famous rock band Metallica, winning a special mention at the awards of the environment at the prominent festival Sheffield, and performing in New York City’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.
The Director of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura and 14 of its members will participate in four of the six screenings of their film, LandfillHarmonic, officially opening the 5th DREFF at the Palacio del Cine de Ágora Mall on Tuesday, September 8th at 5:00 p.m. Five other screenings of the film will take place in Santo Domingo, Punta Cana, and Azua. The DREFF will take place from September 8th – 13th, 2015.
The Tree of Hope, located in the central atrium of the Ágora Mall, was the backdrop on August 23rd for the screening of the animated short film A Sea Turtle Story, thanks to the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival’s (DREFF) Year Round Environmental Film Screenings program.
The event, coordinated by the Tropicalia Foundation and Educa, brought together dozens of children and adults who could see through this film, made with the technique of stop-motion animation, the description of the life cycle of this endangered species.
A discussion on the current status of sea turtles in the Dominican Republic was carried out after the screening, in which all questions by the audience were answered.
Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and its sister organization in the Dominican Republic, Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode, by its Spanish acronym), have organized the 5th edition of the DREFF, to be held from September 8th – 13th. The Ágora Mall will be one of the main screening locations in Santo Domingo for the Festival.
The Tree of Hope is an initiative that promotes social solidarity and commitment to organizations working in the areas of health and education, and is in its 3rd edition.
The tree stands in the court of the first level of the Ágora Mall from July 16th to August 30th, and takes on shape and color from flowers purchased by attendees and families visiting the mall.
Along with screening over 30 inspiring films, the DREFF will host multiple community activities during the week of the festival this September. These activities range from demonstrations and contests to exhibits and hands-on activities. The goal of these activities at the DREFF is to promote dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience, and inspire Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, and sustainable use of their environmental resources.
A special presentation on bees and beekeeping will take place on September 9th at 4 p.m. in the Funglode Auditorium in Santo Domingo. This event is in conjunction with the showing of the film Vanishing of the Bees, and will feature a live bee colony, beekeeping equipment, and products such as honey and beeswax!
A social media competition is set to take place throughout the whole week of the festival. Individuals can participate by sharing a photo or 15 second video of your favorite nature spot in the Dominican Republic on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, and inviting your followers/friends to meet there. The photo or video should highlight an action promoting the environmental protection of this spot. Be sure to use the hashtags #MiRincón, #RDsostenible and #DREFF, and make reference to @MuestraCine and @DominicanaOnline.
The photography exhibit, Oxygen, will be open in the Funglode gallery during the week of the festival, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. In this exhibit, Spanish photographer Juan Carlos Vélaz offers a journey across the Dominican Republic, recounting his three year expedition exploring the country’s coastline, forests, hills, and other natural enclaves. Considering natural spaces to be as necessary to humans as the oxygen they breathe, Vélaz encourages us to visit the areas they photographed and protect them from degradation.
The ReCrearte Program, along with other Dominican organizations, will be hosting an arts showcase promoting recycling within the country by using found materials to create new and beautiful products. It will take place at the Funglode Gallery on September 13th from 2 to 8 p.m. A recycled art workshop will also be hosted by ReCrearte on September 11th at 10 a.m. The session is open to students and members of the BIJRD, and focuses on the principles of recycling and how to turn waste materials such as wood, plastic, and textiles into decorative objects of practical use such as bags, earrings, and other useful items.
Another event targeted toward the younger crowd is a walk and rally at the National Botanical Gardens in Santo Domingo. On September 10th, from 8 to 11 a.m., participants will trek through the National Botanical Gardens, learn new skills, and discover the extensive range of biodiversity contained in the Dominican Republic. Following a circuit through the gardens, the young guests will answer questions about Dominican flora and fauna and take part in several other entertaining activities, making it a fun morning to celebrate and enjoy nature!
Special clean-up events will also take place during the week. One, on September 12th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., will beautify the fishing community of Bajos de Hain with a beach cleanup and the painting of a wall mural promoting marine biodiversity in the country. Another will focus on Villa Consuelo on September 8th from 9 a.m to 12 p.m. This cleanup will finish with a decorative wall mural made of recycled materials collected during the cleanup.
A unique event focusing on short stories about nature and biodiversity will take place on September 9th at 10 a.m. Dominican photographer Eladio Fernández and Guatemalan photographer Marvin del Cid will narrate a slideshow that highlights the beauty of Dominican nature and its extensive biodiversity levels during this presentation at the BIJRD.
An environmental excursion, hosted by the RDescubre initiative, will take place on September 12th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The objective of this activity is to increase awareness among young people about the problems that plague coral reefs, while encouraging them to develop small-scale environmental projects and work as a team with other young people toward a better system and respect for the environment.
About the DREFF:
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF)- an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) -has been providing Dominicans with a platform of knowledge and debate on the environment and sustainable development, along with its challenges and best practices while celebrating the unique beauty and wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage.
With a diverse selection of films and numerous panels, workshops, seminars, and community activities, the DREFF promotes dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, and sustainable use of their environmental resources.
The Universidad Católica Nordestana (UCNE) is the venue for several activities to be held September 9-11.
(San Francisco de Macorís, August 24, 2015) – The 5th edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), an initiative of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) is opening in San Francisco de Macorís on Wednesday September 9th through Friday the 11th.
All Festival screenings and activities, free and open to the public, will be held at the Universidad Católica Nordestana (UCNE).
Yamile Eusebio, Director of Festival Operations, is inviting all residents of San Francisco de Macorís to attend the events, not just in their hometown but also other locations around the country. “We hope everyone will support us, not just here, but will also travel to Santo Domingo, Bonao, or Santiago to see movies,” said Ms. Eusebio.
“We have grown this year and are having screenings at new venues, which we hope everyone will enjoy,” added Eusebio.
For her part, Dr. Zamira Asilis, vice rector for Graduate Studies, Research, and Extension at the UCNE, said the previous four Film Festivals have been a total success. “We have used them as teaching and learning tools for our students.”
Dr. Asilis noted that, “More and more students and teachers are getting involved, because they understand that film, especially documentaries, are educational tools.”
Wednesday September 9th at 11:00 am will be the inaugural event at the UCNE with a screening of the documentary, Yakona. The film’s producer, Jillian Anne Hall, will be present as well as other national and international guests.
Jillian Anne Hall works as a producer at Arcos Films, a documentary production company dedicated to creating content about important social issues and distributing it in innovative ways. She also teaches film workshops in underserved local elementary and middle schools through the Austin Film Society’s after school program.
On Thursday September 10th, short films made by the Academia de Cine Ambiental Puntacana will be screened at 11:00 am.
On Friday September 11th two Dominican productions, Biodiversidad de la República Dominicana and Diarios del fin del mundo, will be shown at 11 am.
The GFDD film, “Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” has been chosen to screen at the upcoming 18th United Nations Association Film Festival (UNAFF), held in California this October. “Garbage or Resource?” has been screened at over a dozen different international film festivals since its production in 2013, and has won several awards including Best Documentary at the Miami Short Film Festival (MSFF), Best Documentary at the Green Lens Environmental Film Festival, and the Second Place Fan Coral Award at the Reef Renaissance Film Festival.
A 28-member jury agreed that the film was in line with the this year’s theme, RUNNING OUT OF TIME, which continues the ongoing celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and focuses on time-sensitive aspects of the Millennium Development Goals.
“Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” is produced by GFDD/Funglode and directed by Natasha Despotovic. It covers the unseen dangers of the 340 open-air landfills that can be found in the Dominican Republic, and the cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development.
Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries.
The UNAFF was founded by Stanford educator and film critic Jasmina Bojic with the participation of the Stanford Film Society and the UNA Midpeninsula Chapter, a community-based nonprofit organization. The film festival celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, the protection of refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women’s issues, children, universal education, war and peace.
The webpage for the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival is up and running in English and Spanish, just in time to start learning everything you need to know about this year’s films, international guests, panels, workshops, as well as community and special activities that will take place between September 8-13 in ten cities around the Dominican Republic.
The countdown has begun. The calendars are marked and everything you have wanted to know about the fifth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) is now available on the official website. The entertaining and easy to use website will collect information on films, special guests as well as the cities and venues hosting the Festival from September 8-13. It will keep you on top of the screenings and activities that will revolve around a common theme this year: Toward an Agreement on Climate Change, United Nations 2015.
Over 25 venues comprise this year’s DREFF screening network in 10 cities: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Baní, San Francisco de Macorís, Puerto Plata, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, Samaná Bonao and Punta Cana.
Countries represented in this fifth are the Dominican Republic, Cuba, United States, Canada, Mozambique, Spain, France, England, India, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany.
Under three categories – “Personal Habits,” “Public Policies and Business” and “Inspiration”- the DREFF will show a total of 36 films this year, including features, short films, Dominican productions, retrospectives and GFDD’s own film productions.
A group of nearly 40 international and national guests will mix with the public at all film screenings where they will offer workshops, panels and round table discussions about cutting-edge issues in sustainable, socioeconomic development.
A celebration of the seventh art that brings together young people, academics, experts, activists, filmmakers, representatives from the public and private sectors, non-governmental organizations as well as a wide-ranging audience from all walks of life, all coming together to promote programs and projects that contribute to protection, conservation and environmental sustainability.
Thanks to our partners and collaborators “Thanks to the invaluable participation of nearly 60 private institutions, both non-governmental and public, every September for the past five years the Festival reaches more than 7,000 viewers, with over 80 free film screenings,” said Natasha Despotovic, Film Festival Director and Executive Director of the GFDD.
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival– an initiative of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) – has been providing Dominicans with a platform of knowledge and debate on the environment and sustainable development, its challenges and best practices while celebrating the unique beauty and wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage.
With a diverse selection of films and numerous panels, workshops, seminars and community activities, the DREFF, stressed Ms. Despotovic, “is promoting dialogue and exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation and sustainable use of their environmental resources.”
Fulfilling GFDD/Funglode’s commitment to contribute to meeting the Sustainable Development Objectives, the DREFF implements 5 programs that operate throughout the year and work with diverse communities: ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, RDescubre, Globo Verde Dominicano Award and Screening of Environmental Films.
The DREFF is a member of the Green Film Network, an international network that groups together 30 of the most important environmental film festivals in the world.
As part of the 10th International Convention on Environment and Development held in La Habana, Cuba, GFDD’s short film “Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” was screened to a global audience of activists, environmentalists, representatives from public and private sectors, decision-makers, stake-holders, and others from more than 45 countries.
The screening was held on July 7, 2015, at the Climate Change Congress, part of the international convention, celebrated at Habana’s ’Palacio de Convenciones’.
About the Short Film
“Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” is produced by GFDD/Funglode and directed by Natasha Despotovic. It covers the unseen dangers of the 340 open-air landfills that can be found in the Dominican Republic, and the cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this “problem” into an opportunity for development. Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how– aside from the obvious environmental benefits– recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries.
About DREFF
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) aims to raise awareness and deepen the understanding of environmental issues among Dominican audiences, celebrating the beauty and diversity of the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage. The festival, first held in 2011, is held each September and hosts a wide selection of high quality films that deal with pressing issues of the environment and climate change, including several panel discussions with environmental experts, filmmakers and stakeholders.
More info: www.dreff.org
About the Convention
The event is hosted every other year by the Environment Agency (AMA) of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment of the Republic of Cuba, and brings together researchers, authorities, educators, specialists, managers, entrepreneurs, professionals, producers, and other people around the world working for the sustainability of our planet.
The International Affairs and Socio-Economic Development Program Manager of Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD), Maria Victoria Abreu, participated at the 10th edition of the International Convention on Environment and Development, held July 6 to 10, 2015, at the Havana Convention Centre in Cuba. More than 1,300 participants from 47 countries attended the event.
The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), an initiative of GFDD/Funglode, signed a collaborative agreement with The Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER), to foster a culture at both institutions in the Dominican Republic that promotes management of natural resources and increases awareness regarding sustainable development. Both parties comprehend the importance of catalyzing the development of projects and programs that promote best practices in the area of environment, the result of interaction between youth and the general public with professors, experts, activists, filmmakers as well as leaders in the public, private, national and international sector.
The agreement was signed by Natasha Despotovic, GFDD Executive Director, and Massiel Cristina Castro, General Coordinator for FUNIBER Dominican Republic. Both parties have committed, within the means at their disposal, to conform to the respective rules for undertaking several actions going forward.
FUNIBER, and its related network, will contribute to the dissemination of programming for the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) and other initiatives undertaken by the DREFF throughout the year. Some of these programs include ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, and the Globo Verde Dominicano Award. FUNIBER will also promote research for students and teachers on issues related to the environment and sustainable development, and create articles the DREFF will evaluate for publication on its blogs and other related media outlets
DREFF and FUNIBER will collaborate with each other when available in activities that are deemed to be of mutual interest, particularly those related to environmental and sustainable development issues in addition to communication, audiovisual and multimedia.
Natasha Despotovic said that the partnership “is an excellent opportunity to endorse the environmental programs implemented in the context of the DREFF throughout the year such as ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, the Globo Verde Dominicano Award, and Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, among others, and in turn integrate FUNIBER’s activities and networks.”
DREFF aims to raise awareness and deepen the understanding of environmental issues among Dominican audiences. The Festival also celebrates the beauty and diversity of the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage and offers insights into attitudes and actions that will contribute to its appreciation, conservation and sustainable use.
About FUNIBER
The Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana (FUNIBER) is a foundation that functions within the world of academia as well as professional training.
FUNIBER seeks to disseminate and share European and Latin American knowledge. Since its founding in 1997 in Barcelona, Spain, FUNIBER has grown continuously, creating an academic and professional network with more than 30 countries. This includes people from more than 60 universities from Europe, the USA and Latin America, as well as prestigious businesses, and renowned international organizations.
