Going Green Screen

GREEN Screen is more than just an environmental film festival.

According to its founder Carver Bacchus, "We see it as a platform for many things."

What started out eight years ago as a means of advancing environmental education through the medium of film, Bacchus believes it can be transformed into a platform to advance economic diversification for TT in very challenging times.

In an interview with Business Day last Wednesday, Bacchus outlined the history of Green Screen and the plans for its future. A graduate of the Brighton Film School in the United Kingdom, Bacchus recalled that while in England and in Europe "people were stopping me on the street to talk about climate change."

When he returned to TT in 2010, Bacchus said, "Nobody was talking about it here." This encouraged him to establish Green Screen "as an educational tool for reaching various audiences in TT with environmental messages and information." Bacchus started Green Screen through his non-governmental organisation (NGO), Sustain TT.

Studying motion picture directing in England, Bacchus said when he came back to TT, he wanted to combine his film understanding with his environmental understanding. "That’s sort of how Green Screen came about."

Bacchus said the audience at Green Screen has grown over the last eight years.

"We have a particular interest from schools. Because we have a high schools' programme. That is actually one of the fastest growing aspects of the festival. Every year we have in excess of 600, 700 kids."

In terms of the general audience, Bacchus said, "That has also grown quite a lot over the years. The general audience when it comes to film and this type of entertainment is somewhat more fragmented." Considerations such as geography and things related to socio-economic concerns often influence this audience which includes "anybody over 18 and all the way to retirees."

Green Screen’s base audiences are largely around Port of Spain, San Fernando and the East West Corridor. "We have screenings at San Fernando Hill, at UWI which are always well intended. Port of Spain based screenings are the best attended of all."

Bacchus said, "What is important for us is to engage with other environmental stakeholders. Other NGOs and the developmental agencies working in this particular space."

Plastic bags and styrofoam

Has Green Screen promoted greater environmental awareness in TT? Bacchus replied, "Yes. Since we started and I don’t know if this is necessarily attributed to the festival alone. Certainly in the last eight years, there has been a proliferation of environmental groups doing different bits of work in different aspects of the environmental sector."

He observed, "We have Massy stopping the free plastic bags which is actually a big step regardless of whether we might think this is question of cost or whatever." Bacchus added, " The reality is, it’s a big step and people have to think about it now when they go to Massy at least."

He said Government will soon ban the importation and manufacture of styrofoam. "That is an impetus for industry to retool and shift to satisfying particular demands and be competitive." But while there has been a change, Bacchus said, "I don’t think the change is enough. We still face many of the environmental challenges that we’ve always faced."

He is heartened that "there is more conversation about these issues." What is critical now, Bacchus said, is that "what we need to do is move beyond conversation." As an environmental, educational NGO, Bacchus said Sustain TT seeks to provide information because " if people don’t have the information, if they don’t understand the issues, then they can’t have sensible conversations, they can’t demand certain things from institutions, governments and their representatives."

Saying its all about understanding what is possible, Bacchus said, "Green Screen supports that through the educational aspect of the films as well the panel discussions and the talks." Green Screen, he continued, also produces and distributes films as well. "There is also a film production entity."

A hit in Europe, North America

Green Screen has produced one feature, one medium length and maybe 15 to 20 short films. "Most of the distribution is through international organisations and distribution companies. I would say 90 per cent." He said 90 per cent of Green Screen’s films are distributed in Europe and North America.

Bacchus is also grateful for Green Screen having a run at Imax in 2015.

What makes Green Screen’s films attract attention in the European and North American markets? Bacchus replied, "Some of the audience is educational institutions, universities, graduate and undergraduate students involved in cultural studies or environmental or Caribbean/Latin American studies."

From that context, Bacchus said, "Stories from Trinidad and stories from the Caribbean, environmental stories are quite rare." For people looking for films that "gets past the science and looks at the environmental impact on communities and people," Bacchus said, "We’re one of the few organisations producing films like that."

As the only environmental film festival in the English-speaking Caribbean, Bacchus said, "We have a bit of a niche. It’s a hell of a niche. Ours nevertheless."

Green Screen is seeking to expand its presence regionally. "That’s happening already. We have been to Guyana two years in a row. This year and last year, presenting films that we’ve produced to a Guyanese audience."

But while its films have travelled overseas, Bacchus added, "The brand Green Screen has only so far touched down in Guyana in partnership with the Timheri Film Festival."

Apart from getting sponsorship from various private sector entities, Green Screen also gets support from the Government. "We get support from the Trade Ministry via Film TT. We get support from Public Utilities Ministry via SWMCOL (Solid Waste Management Company Limited) at least this year."

For this year’s Green Screen, SWMCOL is sponsoring the first prize of $10,000 for best film. Film TT is sponsoring a $5,000 prize for the youth award. A $2,500 prize for the people’s choice award is being sponsored by the National Institute of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology.

Balancing education with entertainment

Comparing Green Screen with the TT Film Festival (ttff), Bacchus said, "The kind of films that we would tend to focus on aren’t necessarily the sexiest films. We’re pretty straight-laced." He admitted that ttff does not have that limitation.

While Green Screen’s films must have an environmental theme, Bacchus said Green Screen has struck a balance between entertainment and environmental education. He referred to the film Death By A Thousand Cuts which opened last year’s festival.

The movie is about the murder of a forest ranger on the border of the Haiti-Dominican Republic by people who cut down trees to make charcoal. "There was a question of xenophobia, murder mystery, history between Haiti and the Dominican Republic," Bacchus said.

Saying Green Screen tries to strike a balance with almost all its films, Bacchus admitted, "There are a lot of films which don’t make the cut because they might not connect with our audience."

Green Screen’s films reflect stories out of Latin America, Asia, Africa, sometimes North America or Europe. Bacchus said, "We want people to see themselves and people like them, facing challenges like us in developing countries like us."

Some films are submitted online for Green Screen. "On our own, we make our own films. Either films we have been commissioned to make for the festival or films that we want or get a programme funded to produce content."

While the number varies, Bacchus said within the last two years there has been an average of 50 films shown at Green Screen. "In the 50 films, up till this year, it was ten per cent local. This year is watershed moment for us because we have 20 short films." All of these films are local.

Who are the filmmakers? Bacchus said it’s a mix. "We have from first time filmmakers to professional filmmakers. The latter are in the film industry."

Overall, Bacchus said, "Younger people in general are more engaged in the make and the films we show. They are definitely thinking about how to solve some of these problems, given they would have some influence before too long."

Building green careers in film

He said Green Screen does provide opportunities for people to pursue careers in film. Bacchus explained, "Because of the nature of the festival and what we do, we have people who are attracted to it because of the issues."

He said people are attracted to the messages and trying to figure out a way to change things. "It’s activists, thinkers and doers. And that is regardless of age. Then on the other hand, you have another set of people who are interested in the moving image and telling stories." Bacchus added, "The sweet spot for us is where those two overlap."

Bacchus identified choreographer Sonja Dumas and writer Andre Bagoo as two notable local personalities who have submitted short films to Green Screen.

Looking to the future, Bacchus said there are big plans for Green Screen.

"There is a programme starting this November – the Green Career Talks. Where we’re going to have experts, people working in various environmental fields."

Bacchus said the focus of this programme will be on marine affairs and marine issues. "We want to expand this in 2019."

He disclosed there are plans to "expand the footprint of the festival." Bacchus hopes Green Screen can run throughout the year "as opposed to having this huge focus in November."

Green Screen also wants to have "more activities that engage with nature and engage with our natural heritage that is outdoors obviously."

Green Screen has not gone to Tobago as yet to engage with communities there. Bacchus hopes that will happen soon.

He was also optimistic that Green Screen can "eventually become a platform for tourist visits, chocolate tours, local food and local heritage."

"We’re looking for partners to do that now." Those partners could be "NGOs, the State, government agencies, anybody who would like to support the development in opportunities to expand tourism.

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"Going Green Screen"

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