Ecobreves – ARGENTINA: Film Fest Aims to Raise Environmental Awareness

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Aug 22 2011 (IPS) - A short film competition will kick off the second Buenos Aires Green Film Fest, a showcase for international cinema on environmental themes, beginning this Aug. 25. The festival, sponsored by Argentine environmental organizations, runs until Aug. 31. Participating cinemas in Buenos Aires will screen 12 feature-length films from countries around the world, some of them already award winners at other festivals.

The films include the documentary "Gasland" by U.S. filmmaker Josh Fox, nominated for a 2011 Academy Award, and the Brazil-U.K. co-production "Waste Land", from directors Lucy Walker, Karen Harley and João Jardim.

The goal of the festival is to "use film to raise awareness and sensitize people around environmental issues in a way that is both informative and entertaining," Mariela Sosa, one of the organizers, told Tierramérica.

For the first time, this year’s festival will include a national short film competition called "Semillero", which literally means seedbed but can be figuratively translated as hotbed or breeding ground.