Come Check Out the Sixth Edition of DREFF!

August 4, 2016

The wait is over! The website for the sixth edition of the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) is up, and everything you wanted to know about DREFF 2016 is now online! The website is a user friendly and innovative platform that will provide you with a vast range of information, from the movies that will be screened and venues, to master classes, workshops, and special guests that will be attending the festival from September 13 to 18.

Under this year´s motto “Yo Soy Sostenible”, the sixth DREFF will kick off in Santo Domingo with the movie The True Cost on September 13, 2016 and a big celebration of sustainable fashion at Ágora Mall. The rest of the 6-day festival will be held throughout 12 cities in the Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo, Santiago, Baní, Puerto Plata/Sosúa, San Juan de la Maguana, La Vega, Samaná, Hermanas Mirabel, Azua, Bonao, Punta Cana, and La Romana) within a network of over 40 screening venues. The festival will feature films from the Dominican Republic, United States, Canada, France, Australia, Denmark, Mexico, Italy, Chile, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Colombia, and Germany.

This year’s films are organized under six categories- “Clean Energy,” “Climate Change,” “Biodiversity,” “Sustainable Practices and Attitudes,” “Sustainable Food,” and “Programa de Cortos Infantiles.”

With 45 films and over 40 international and national guests, DREFF will put on its largest festival to date! There will be master classes and workshops about the newest innovations in filmmaking (in partnership with the New York Film Academy), as well as panel discussions about sustainability and socioeconomic development. DREFF will also be partnering with the Green Film Network (GFN), an international association that brings together more than 30 of the major environmental film festivals in the world. DREFF is honored to host this year’s Green Film Network Award, the “Oscar” of environmental filmmaking.

Each GFN member presents a documentary chosen from their last festival and produced in their own country, showcasing the diversity and strength of environmental documentaries from around the world. An international jury representing more than 20 countries will choose the documentary that will be the spotlight at the closing of DREFF.

DREFF is a remarkable experience for young and old, activists and academics, experts and novices. As explained by Executive Director Natasha Despotovic, this year’s theme, ‘Yo Soy Sostenible,’ “aims to educate, entertain, and inspire all those who come to participate in order for them to take a more proactive approach to living a sustainable and environmentally-friendly life and to understand that many small changes will make a big one.”

In this effort, DREFF organizes special activities including some within the community, ranging from hiking, workshops, and recycled art murals, to photography and video competitions on social networks. DREFF aims to offer Dominicans the opportunity to explore and enjoy the natural beauty of the country and at the same time, encourage them to participate in planning its sustainability.

Since its creation in 2011, the 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 providing examples of best practices, while celebrating the unique beauty and wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage.

DREFF aids in fulfilling GFDD/Funglode’s commitment to meet the Sustainable Development Objectives by implementing 5 programs that operate throughout the year and work with diverse communities: ReCrearte, EcoHuertos, RDescubre, the Globo Verde Dominicano Award and Screening of Environmental Films.

In its mission to promote the production of environmental films and to raise the level of public awareness, DREFF organizes the Premio Globo Verde Dominicano Award and the Year-Round Environmental Film Screenings program, produces its own documentaries, and constantly updates the Film Festival’s blog.

Don´t miss it!

More information:
www.globalfoundationdd.org