As part of the 2016 Environmental Film Festival at the Nation`s Capital (DCEFF) program, a Dominican Night will be hosted by DREFF on March 18th at the Hispanic Gala Theater in Washington, D.C. This opportunity is precious in fostering GFDD’s aim of facilitating the enrichment of the film culture of the Dominican Republic and bringing its unique brand of cinema to a wider international audience.

The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) has been closely collaborating with the DCEFF for five years now. As expressed by the words of Natasha Despotovic, executive director of GFDD and DREFF, “We greatly appreciate our collaborative relationship with our friends at DCEFF. In fact, they inspired us for the creation of our own festival, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival”.

The three Dominican films that will be screened at the Dominican Night are: Value of Life (last GFDD production), 7 Gramos (winner of the 2015 Globo Verde Dominicano Award), and Reserva de la Biosfera:  Jaragua, Bahoruco, Enriquillo (directed by Máximo José Rodríguez).

“We are proud to present, once again, productions made in the Dominican Republic by Dominican filmmakers before an exquisite international public. On this occasion, in addition to the GFDD’s production, we will be introducing an emerging young talent and paying tribute to a veteran of the camera”.

The evening will be presented by Despotovic along with the directors of 7 Gramos, Jonatán Vila and Hadzael Gómez, and the wife of recently deceased Rodriguez, who will receive a posthumous tribute.  In addition to having been a great friend and collaborator, Rodríguez was a member of the DREFF National Advisory Committee. “A generous human being, Máximo used his extraordinary talent, dedication, and passion to develop documentary film productions that captured the beauty, diversity, and natural wealth of Dominican Republic”, underlines the executive director of GFDD.

About the movies
Value of Life
This production, directed by Despotovic, is GFDD’s most recent short movie. Historically, little value is placed on natural capital when looking at growth equations and socioeconomic development. It is difficult for big businesses, and more so for ordinary people, to quantify the significance of natural resources and make the value of nature tangible in our daily lives. The production responds to those questions: How much is the natural capital of the Dominican Republic worth? How do we put a price on the ecosystem the planet has given us and that allows us to survive?

As Despotovic explains “GFDD, making environmental films, encourages other Dominican directors to follow their steps, promoting sustainable development in the country”.

7 Gramos
This film is the winner of the 2015 edition of DREFF’s Globo Verde Dominicano Award (part of the DREFF programs) and is based on a true story.

The story takes place in a small rural community in the Dominican Republic, and recounts the life of a Hispaniolan Emerald (one of the smallest birds in the world, endemic species) who decides to build her nest and lay her eggs in a support pillar of a school building under construction. After two weeks, her little chicks hatch. Along with their mother, the chicks begin their daily routine. Meanwhile, the construction workers, in order to finish their job, must decide whether to leave the birds’ nest where it is, or remove it.

Reserva de la Biosfera: Jaragua, Bahoruco, Enriquillo
In 2002, Jaragua-Bahoruco-Enriquillo was declared a Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Reserva de la Biosfera: Jaragua, Bahoruco y Enriquillo is a series of three documentaries on these areas: the Jaragua National Park, a wonderful combination of beauty and biodiversity; the Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, a natural symbol of the Dominican nation; and Lake Enriquillo and Cabritos Island, a unique landscape of this side of the island’s geography. This zone, with a total surface area of 5,770 km², includes unique landscapes of extraordinary beauty, impressive biodiversity consisting of the most diverse coastal, marine and land ecosystems, high level of regional endemism of flora and fauna and invaluable genetic resources.

About DREFF
Since its creation 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.

About DCEFF
The Environmental Film Festival at the Nation’s Capital (DCEFF) is the world’s premiere showcase of environmentally themed films. Each March in Washington, DC, the Festival presents more than 150 films to an audience of over 33,000. DCEFF program includes thematic discussions and social events, film screenings at museums, embassies, libraries, universities and local theaters. Founded in 1993, DCEFF is the largest and longest-standing environmental film festival in the United States. It has grown into a major collaborative cultural event both during the festival and all year round.

When: Friday, March 18th 2016. 7:00pm
Where: Gala Hispanic Theatre, Washington D.C.

Open and free to all audiences

More information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org
http://dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

More than fifty students from Politécnico Ann & Tedd Kheel enjoyed a special screening of the film La Montaña, thanks to a GFDD/Funglode collaboration initiative, within the framework of its Year Round Environmental Film Screenings program, part of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF).

Before the screening of the film students were introduced to a brief video summary of the recent expedition to Pico Duarte of a young group of Dominicans in January of the current year, an initiative of the GFDD program RDescubre, under the inter-institutional coordination of Funglode/GFDD, Puntacana Ecological Foundation and Siempre Más Foundation.  After the screening of the documentary La Montaña, students were able to share their concerns and curiosities about mountains with the renowned and prestigious Dominican alpinist Karim Mella, President of the Siempre Más Foundation, first national in reaching the Summit of Mount Everest.

The event was attended by Juanita Guerrero, Deputy Director of the academic institution, teachers of the school, Candy Gómez, Public Relations Manager and other representatives of the Puntacana group and the Puntacana ecological Foundation, GFDD/DREFF representatives and members of the community of Veron.

This activity is part of the GFDD program Year Round Environmental Film Screening, within the framework of Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF).

About La Montaña
La Montaña, directed by Tabaré Blanchard and Iván Herrera, with music and narration by Pavel Núñez and under the executive production of Marco Herrera and Laura Castellanos, portraits the adventure of the first Dominican expedition to reach the top of Mount Everest in Nepal, in 2011. With beautiful images, powerful music, and inspiring achievements, the film presents the contrast of the highest mount in the world and the low lands of the Caribbean, as the three climbers, Iván Gómez, Karim Mella and Federico Jovine, surpass the difficult track to the top. At the same time, three Dominican children, sons of fishermen, start their own challenge in climbing the highest mountain in the island, Pico Duarte. Two parallel stories that remind us that from the sea to the sky, everyone has a dream: a mountain to climb.

By screening the documentary La Montaña, GFDD/Funglode in collaboration with Puntacana group and the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, had the purpose of promoting values of identity and national pride among Dominicans living in the eastern part of the country. The activity was held at the Puntacana Village Commercial Galleries, and counted with the presence of 200 people from the community, as well as authorities and representatives of the Puntacana group.

María Victoria Abreu, GFDD International Affairs and Socio-economic Development Program Manager, and Jake Kheel, Director of the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, gave the welcoming remarks to the event and introduced a brief video summary of the recent expedition to Pico Duarte of a young group of Dominicans in January of the current year, an initiative of the GFDD program RDescubre, under the inter-institutional coordination of Funglode/GFDD, Puntacana Ecological Foundation and Siempre Más Foundation.

After the screening of the documentary La Montaña, the audience was able to share with the renowned and prestigious Dominican alpinist Karim Mella, President of the Siempre Más Foundation, first national in reaching the Summit of Mount Everest. Even children participated in this questions and answers session where they asked Karim about their concerns and curiosities about mountains. Karim Mella emphasized that the main thing, after accomplishing a goal such as reaching the highest peak in the world, it’s knowing what to do with it afterwards; in his case, he decided to share his experience with young Dominicans through expeditions, and educational and inspirational talks.

This activity is part of the GFDD program Year Round Environmental Film Screening, within the framework of Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF).

About La Montaña
La Montaña, directed by Tabaré Blanchard and Iván Herrera, with music and narration by Pavel Núñez and under the executive production of Marco Herrera and Laura Castellanos, portraits the adventure of the first Dominican expedition to reach the top of Mount Everest in Nepal, in 2011. With beautiful images, powerful music, and inspiring achievements, the film presents the contrast of the highest mount in the world and the low lands of the Caribbean, as the three climbers, Iván Gómez, Karim Mella and Federico Jovine, surpass the difficult track to the top. At the same time, three Dominican children, sons of fishermen, start their own challenge in climbing the highest mountain in the island, Pico Duarte. Two parallel stories that remind us that from the sea to the sky, everyone has a dream: a mountain to climb.

For more information: www.dreff.org

The Dominican Film Festival (DREFF) is pleased to announce the fifth edition of the first audiovisual competition in the area of environment and sustainable development in the Dominican Republic, the Globo Verde Dominicano Award. This year’s competition will include 4 categories: the recently added Globo Verde Junior, Public Service Announcement, Short Film and Photography. Information on rules and registration forms are available at www.globoverdedominicano.org.

The Globo Verde Dominicano Award is a unique opportunity for filmmakers, students and young professionals who want to venture into a fairly uncharted area in the Dominican Republic -the creation of environmental audiovisual material- as well as to show their work to a national and international audience as part of each edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, which is held every September, and at other international festivals.

Starting immediately, the contest is formally open and will be accepting entries until July 31, 2016, except for the category of Globo Verde Junior, which deadline is May 31. The electronic registration form is available on the competition website at www.globoverdedominicano.org where the rules for each category can also be found. Those interested in obtaining additional information can submit their questions via social networks on Facebook and Twitter (@GloboVerdeDR), or via email at info@globoverdedominicano.org.

In addition to cash prizes and equipment contestants will receive a lot of promotion for their works through all web pages related to the DREFF, as well as at film festivals around the world. This year, the awards are the following. Short Film Category: trip to an international environmental film festival with the opportunity to screen the short and a certificate for $2,000 in technical equipment. Public Service Announcement Category: A 15-inch Macbook Pro laptop (2.2 GHz, with retina display screen). Photography Category: A certificate for $1,000 in technical equipment. Globo Verde Junior Category: a certificate for $1,000 in technical equipment.

Entries participating in the Globo Verde Dominicano Award will be judged by a jury made of national and international professionals. The winners of the competition will be announced at a special ceremony with nationally and internationally renowned filmmakers and environmental experts, in the framework of the 6th Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, which will take place September 13-18 in 11 cities.

Fotography
The selected theme for 2016 is “Yo soy sostenible” (I’m sustainable) and seeks to promote the program of the United Nations, including the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. For more information and ideas on these issues, visit the DREFF blog (blog.dreff.org).  More specifically it aims at fostering reflection on the reality of the Dominican environment and sustainable development and their implications for the future, and to generate proposals for the improvement of the problems faced by the country in the areas of environment and sustainable development through the production of films and photography.

About the Globo Verde Dominicano Award
Globo Verde Dominicano Award, presented during the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, recognizes audiovisual materials with an environmental content that have been created by Dominican students and young professionals in the areas of cinema, photography, advertising, or related fields. The program encourages Dominican youth to create audiovisual materials that raise awareness about the importance of the environment and sustainable development.

The competition began in 2012 with the categories of Short Film and Public Service Announcement, and, in 2014, added a new category in the area of Photography. Last year, with the aim of giving an opportunity to young people and to promote the use of new technologies, the Globo Verde Junior category, exclusively for high school students, was launched.

More information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org
www.dreff.org

As part of Year Round Environmental Film Screenings, a program of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival, a group of students from Escuela Niños del Mundo in Punta Rucia, Puerto Plata, enjoyed the documentary Dominican Republic Biodiversity and the children short film The Change. The activity was a success, with the participation of teachers, administrative staff and all students of the campus.

Dominican Republic Biodiversity uncovers the natural wealth of the Dominican Republic in order to encourage its appreciation and conservation. Meanwhile, the animated short The Change tells the story of a small town that is disturbed by a mysterious machine that causes significant changes in the lifestyle of the village where life develops.

The screening was made with the aim of promoting, through audiovisual media, the value of the flora and fauna that are of great importance in the Dominican Republic, together with good practices that respond to sustainable development. After the projection a fun activity took place in which the children colored native and endemic species of the country.

Before the screening, the students had a very significant gesture, explains the GFDD Coordinator of Environmental Programs in the Dominican Republic, Omar Shamir Reynoso. The 47 students drew with pencils on paper bond the lessons they learned during the projection, on the 25 of November of 2015, of ¿Basura o Recurso? Una experiencia de la República Dominicana y Planeta Océano. In the coming months more screenings of environmental documentaries will follow, with the aim of promoting the training of students.

About the Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the DREFF
As part of its mission to reach more communities, institutions and individuals around the country, the DR Environmental Film Festival organizes film screenings year-round, providing the opportunity to bring successful film programs to new and remote communities. By showing a diverse selection of quality films on critical environmental issues and organizing discussions and workshops, the year-round film screenings seek to foster and inspire dialogue, raise awareness and promote sustainable practices.

More Information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org

The program Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the Dominican Republic Environmenral Film Festival began this year on January 25, with the presentation of the documentary “Cotton Road” in the ITSC San Luis in Santo Domingo. About 60 students participated in the activity that is part of the Film Forum program of the school and is celebrated thanks to the agreement signed between the DREFF -a GFDD / Funglode initiative- and ITSC.

Cotton road exposes the Americans consumption of nearly 20 billion new items of clothing each year and follows the commodity of cotton from South Caroline farms to Chinese factories to illuminate the work and industrial processes in a global supply chain.

This activity is part of Film Forum program and the agreement signed between GFDD and ITSC in order to promote best practices and sustainable socio-economic development. The program aims to promote art and culture, and raise awareness among students, faculty and staff on protecting the environment through cinema.

This partnership benefits the students pursuing various academic programs at the ITSC, providing them with the necessary tools to understand and develop best practices on environmental issues.  The Film Forum, scheduled every Friday, will continue in the coming months with projections of environmental documentaries.

About the Year Round Environmental Film Screenings of the DREFF
As part of its mission to reach more communities, institutions and individuals around the country, the DR Environmental Film Festival organizes film screenings year-round, providing the opportunity to bring successful film programs to new and remote communities. By showing a diverse selection of quality films on critical environmental issues and organizing discussions and workshops, the year-round film screenings seek to foster and inspire dialogue, raise awareness and promote sustainable practices.

More Information:  www.globalfoundationdd.org

The 15th Educational Expedition to Pico Duarte, part of the initiatives of the RDescubre program, was successfully held when 75 students from Liceo Escuela Hermano Miguel from Santiago, Liceo Profesora Mercedes Muñoz, Fe y Alegría from Cambita el Pueblecito (San Cristobal), and Politécnico Ann and Ted Kheel from Veron (Punta Cana), had the opportunity to climb Pico Duarte, the highest mountain in the Caribbean.

The event, organized by Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (Funglode) in collaboration with the Siempre Más Foundation, Punta Cana Foundation, and Angel Guard, took place from January 14th to 17th. The alpinist Karim Mella, President of the Siempre Más Foundation, coordinated the expedition.

The RDescubre program is a GFDD initiative which aims to provide underserved students and communities with the opportunity to take part in educational expeditions all over the Dominican Republic as a way of seeing and appreciating the country’s beautiful landscapes and the wealth of its natural resources.

By immersing these participants in natural environments, the expeditions connect them to nature through positive enduring experiences thereby motivating greater environmental stewardship.

Through these adventures, participants are inspired to become activists in their own local communities and to work together for a common cause, while inspiring others through their experiences.

More information: www.globalfoundationdd.org

Racing Extinction, a documentary directed by Louie Psihoyos, which closed the fifth edition of the Dominican Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) has been nominated for Best Original Song at the 2016 Oscars. The movie The Cove –by the same director and also part of the programming of fourth DREFF- already won an Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2010.

Furthermore, the documentary, which presents the audience with a covert operation whose aim is to reveal the hidden world of endangered species and the race against time of those who fight against mass extinction, has been one of the most watched in the history of television, since it premiered in December 2015 by Discovery Channel in more than 220 countries.

The director, Louie Psihoyos, presented the film at the closing ceremony of the 2015 DREFF gala in September 2015. During the closing ceremony, in addition to receiving the Colibrí Award as guest of honor, Louie spoke with the audience in an interesting question and answer session where he offered some details on the filming of both productions, highlighting that some scenes were filmed in the Dominican Republic.

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.

Related Links:
http://www.muestracinemedioambientaldominicana.org/dreff2015/la-pelicula-racing-extinction-y-su-laureado-director-louie-phsyhoyos-coronaron-ayer-un-total-de-120-proyecciones-del-dreff/
http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/12/racing-extinction-clip
http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/best-original-song-nominations-2016-oscars

The Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD) and Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) deeply lament the death of Dominican filmmaker, Máximo José Rodríguez, who passed away yesterday in the Dominican Republic. In addition to having been a great friend and collaborator, Mr. Rodríguez was a member of the DREFF National Advisory Committee.

A generous human being, Rodríguez used his extraordinary talent, dedication, and passion to develop documentary film productions that captured the beauty, diversity, and natural wealth of Dominican Republic.

We extend our condolences and warm thoughts to his wife, Lisette Fernández, who also cooperates with the GFDD and serves as a member of the DREFF Advisory Committee.

Rodríguez’s remains will be on view at Las Trinitarias Chapel in the Memorial Garden, located on Jacobo Majluta Avenue, beginning today, Monday December 7^th, at 2:00 pm, until tomorrow, Tuesday December 8^th.

On Thursday, November 26, GFDD/Funglode organized a special screening of the documentary La Montaña at the 27 de Febrero Naval Base of the Dominican Navy.

This event, held as part of the DREFF Environmental Film Screenings series, was arranged especially for cadets, candidates, and recruits of the Dominican Navy and included the participation of Commander General Vice Admiral Edmundo Felix Pimentel and the president of the Association of Navy Officers’ Wives of the Dominican Republic (ADEOARD), María Orietta García de Félix.

The activity aimed to offer guidance to the naval family, especially future senior and junior officers and new recruits, on good practices for facing the challenges of life, as well as the importance of effort in fulfilling goals.

In collaboration with the Fundación Siempre Más, chaired by Karim Mella, GFDD is screening this documentary in different venues around the Dominican Republic. “Our aim with these screenings is to turn young people into protectors of the environment, while testing and learning the value of individual effort, teamwork, comradery, and discipline, as well as the necessary skills to overcome obstacles and achieve personal goals in both the present and the future,” explained GFDD’s coordinator of Environmental Programs in the Dominican Republic, Omar Shamir Reynoso, who arranged the presentation of the film.

Screening of Environmental Films. The Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival maintains a Year-Round Environmental Film Screenings program, which offers the opportunity to audiences around the country to enjoy the most interesting films on environmental issues that have been shown in previous editions of the Festival. This widens the scope of efforts to raise awareness and deepens the existing understanding of environmental issues among the Dominican public.

More information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org
www.dominicanscreenings.org