Transition time for Green Screen Film fest

The Green Screen Environmental Film Festival (GSEFF) annually offers an outlet for talented and creative local filmmakers with a focus on environmentally-themed storytelling.

An integral part of the festival is the Very Short Shorts Mobile Film competition, which challenges filmmakers to tell their stories, using mobile devices, in one-minute segments.

The 12th edition of the festival opens on November 3 and will premiere this year’s Very Short Shorts Mobile competition finalists, with opening remarks from Green Screen’s festival director, sponsors and other guest speakers at 7 pm on the festival’s social media channels (Facebook and YouTube). Prior to this, the Short Shorts will premiere on TV6 from 5pm.

The festival’s featured film selections, from local, regional and global filmmakers, will be made available for on-demand online access via greenscreen.film on November 3, with many screenings free to the public, a media release said.

The 2022 festival will be a hybrid, with both in-person film screenings, virtual panel discussions as well as on-demand virtual film access. The main festival activities will take place between November 3 and 6.

This year’s festival theme of Transition is a way to bring focus to the choices we face in an evolving world, to making a more sustainable future, the release said.

Festival director Carver Bacchus said in the release, “We’re very much at a crossroads and need to get to the other side of a development threshold. We understand that there is work to do to become more sustainable as individuals, households, organisations and as a country, and it will take time.

"But we must Transition and need to be put in the work now to ensure energy security in the long term, for example. This idea, focusing on the specific SDGs, is where we want to focus audience attention this year.”

On November 6 a panel discussion will focus on UN SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The discussion includes experts and practitioners who can share trends, insights, and ideas and engage in discussion around the issues. Time will be alloted to address strategies to protect cultural/national heritage, reduction of adverse effects of natural disasters on communities and benefits of improved access to green space that is safe and inclusive across the Caribbean region, the release said.

Panellists are Christianne Zakour, UNEP MGCY regional facilitator for SIDS; Sen Matthew Samuda, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Jamaica; and Amilcar Sanatan, artist, academic, activist and project co-ordinator. Moderator will be broadcaster and producer Ardene Sirjoo.

Schedule of events

November 3, TV6, 5pm-5:30pm – Premiere of Very Short Shorts (VSS) films and festival launch

7 pm: Premiere of Very Short Shorts (VSS) films and festival launch

8pm: Film programme available online for viewing

November 4, Rootsyard, 7pm: Community film screening in person.

November 5, 202 Rootsyard, 7 pm: Community film screening in person

November 6, Facebook and You Tube, 7 pm: Live Nice! – Panel discussion re: UN SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

November 10, Facebook and You Tube, 11am: Make Things Better! – panel discussion re: UN SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production and a short film screening – followed by an interactive Q&A session.

November 11, Facebook and You Tube, 11 am: Unplug! – Panel discussion re: UN SDG Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy and a short film screening –followed by an interactive Q&A session.

November 18, Eastyard, 7pm: Community film screening in person

November 19, Eastyard, 7pm: Community film screening in person

January 18-19, 2023, Queen's Hall, Short Film screenings, Green career talks. Environmental and sustainability-themed films and activities