25 in finals of green mobile film competition

Twenty-five filmmakers have advanced to the final round of the environmental mobile film competition, with Youth Award and Overall Award winners to be announced at Green Screen festival opening on November 5, at Queen's Hall.

Following the success of the inaugural Very Short Shorts (VSS) Mobile Film Competition in 2018, organisers of the 9th annual Green Screen Environmental Film Festival launched the 2019 edition of the competition with a call for submissions on World Environment Day, June 5.

Filmmakers with all levels of experience were encouraged to submit a one-minute film (excluding credits) addressing the theme Waste Not, Want Not, shot entirely on a mobile device – smartphone, tablet, go-pro or any combination of these – in HD video.

Over 40 submissions were received and judged by a jury of filmmakers, film enthusiasts and environmental sector experts.

“We were pleased to discover that in just one year the quality of films received has already improved significantly,” says Carver Bacchus, Green Screen festival founder and director. “One of the reasons for the improvement could be the growth and interest in mobile filmmaking. And we’re happy to play our part in developing and promoting this sector in TT.”

Green Screen parent NGO, Sustain TT, hosted a two-day mobile frame workshop led by filmmaker Juliet McCawley in August, which focused on the fundamentals of mobile filmmaking. Up to 20 secondary school students are set to benefit from a second round of training scheduled for December 2019, with the support of bmobile.

Here is the list of finalists, in alphabetical order by title, for the 2019 Very Short Shorts Mobile Film Competition, with one honourable mention.

Akilah Goes For “Seafood” by Akilah Stewart

Another Man by Dominique Chung

Beneath the Surface by Xala Ramesar

Bread and Butter by Willie Singh

Compost It by Janis Mollineau

Eden Eaten by Red Frederick

Food Waste by Jonathan Francis

Hailey’s Video by Sarah-Lee Manmohan

Innovate by Aaron Peter

It Starts With One by Julien Neaves

Lady Nature by Jonathan Francis

Local Mandarin Vibes by Chimene Shah

Methane by Jason Marcano

Mind The Gap by Sarah-Lee Manmohan

Paradise Lost by Darian Lalla

Supermarket Seas by Akilah Stewart

Stuck by Red Frederick

The Degradation Challenge by Akilah Stewart

The Last Drop by Darion Mungal

The Life of Kevin Julie by Domnik Jones-Armour

The Haves and Have Nots by Renaldo Lewis/Central Pathfinders Environmental Foundation

Trash Heaven by Ayesha Jordan

Urbanised Composting by Renaldo Lewis/Central Pathfinders Environmental Foundation

Waste by Red Frederick

We Share the Same Home by Xala Ramesar

Honourable Mention: Baggage by Deneka Thomas (not in competition)

The Overall winner will receive $12,000 courtesy bmobile, and the Youth winner, $5,000 courtesy FilmTT. Opening Night patrons will have the opportunity to view the 25 selected films in the competition, and commence voting for the People’s Choice Award. Voting continues throughout the festival and culminates on closing night, November 9, with the reveal of the winner at LofTT Gallery. The winner will be awarded $3,000, courtesy SWMCOL.

For more information, email sustaintt@gmail and follow @greenscreentt on Facebook and Instagram.