 Opening Night of the Festival at San Francisco's Castro Theatre. | |
| Location | San Francisco, California; United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2011 |
| Language | International |
| Website | www |
The San Francisco Green Film Festival was an environmental film festival which was held annually from 2011 to 2019.
The festival was founded by Rachel Caplan, who had previously worked for the Edinburgh Film Festival, the San Francisco Film Society and the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival. [1] She created the festival to connect international environmental films and filmmakers with San Francisco Bay Area audiences and increase awareness of the climate crisis.
Over 9 years, the Festival grew from a 3-day programme in one small venue to a weeklong event in multiple venues across the city, and the largest environmental film festival in the USA outside the long-established Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital in Washington D.C. The festival was known for its 'Take Action' programmes, encouraging audiences to get involved with local climate campaigns and causes in partnership with organisations such as Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and 350.org.
SFGFF was recognised Internationally through an official partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); and membership of the Green Film Network, a global association of 30 film festivals which focus on environmental issues. Its Science on Screen and Impact Film Forum initiatives were funded by National Endowment for the Arts.
In nine years, the festival presented over 600 feature length and short films with over 800 guests [2] ranging from filmmakers to scientists, academics, activists, indigenous leaders and youth. Notable guests included Margaret Atwood, [3] Annie Leonard, Fredrik Gertten, Louie Psihoyos, The Yes Men, Jonathan Franzen, Céline Cousteau, Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Josh Fox, Virginia McKenna, Ralph Eggleston, and Madonna Thunderhawk.
In 2018, the Festival was the official film presenting partner of the Global Climate Action Summit, hosted by the U.N.'s Christiana Figueres, Michael Bloomberg, and California Governor Jerry Brown.
In 2019, the Green Film Festival took place for the last time. [1] The Opening Night event at the Castro Theare included a screening of Fredrik Gertten’s feature documentary film Push, and a conversation with U.N. Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Leilani Farha.
The tenth edition was planned to be held over 10 days in September 2020, but in May it was announced that the festival would cease operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] Around that time, it had a staff of three employees, not counting its board of directors. [1]
In 2022, SF IndieFest launched the 'Green Film Festival of San Francisco' as a new event which is not affiliated with this festival.
Juried award introduced in 2017 for Best Bay Area Environmental Feature with $5,000 prize. [4]
The Festival was a member of the Green Film Network, [5] an association of worldwide environmental film festivals.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm in June 1972. Its mandate is to provide leadership, deliver science and develop solutions on a wide range of issues, including climate change, the management of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, and green economic development. The organization also develops international environmental agreements; publishes and promotes environmental science and helps national governments achieve environmental targets.
Earthjustice is a nonprofit public interest organization based in the United States dedicated to litigating environmental issues. Headquartered in San Francisco, they have an international program, a communications team, and a policy and legislation team in Washington, D.C., along with 14 regional offices across the United States.
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated annually on 5 June and encourages awareness and action for the protection of the environment. It is supported by many non-governmental organizations, businesses, government entities, and represents the primary United Nations outreach day supporting the environment.
The San Francisco International Film Festival, organized by the San Francisco Film Society, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and video production with an emphasis on work that has not yet secured U.S. distribution. In 2009, it served around 82,000 patrons, with screenings held in San Francisco and Berkeley.
Biodegradable waste includes any organic matter in waste which can be broken down into carbon dioxide, water, methane, compost, humus, and simple organic molecules by micro-organisms and other living things by composting, aerobic digestion, anaerobic digestion or similar processes. It mainly includes kitchen waste, ash, soil, dung and other plant matter. In waste management, it also includes some inorganic materials which can be decomposed by bacteria. Such materials include gypsum and its products such as plasterboard and other simple sulfates which can be decomposed by sulfate reducing bacteria to yield hydrogen sulfide in anaerobic land-fill conditions.
Green jobs are, according to the United Nations Environment Program, "work in agricultural, manufacturing, research and development (R&D), administrative, and service activities that contribute(s) substantially to preserving or restoring environmental quality. Specifically, but not exclusively, this includes jobs that help to protect ecosystems and biodiversity; reduce energy, materials, and water consumption through high efficiency strategies; de-carbonize the economy; and minimize or altogether avoid generation of all forms of waste and pollution." The environmental sector has the dual benefit of mitigating environmental challenges as well as helping economic growth.
Fredrik Gertten is a Swedish filmmaker, producer and journalist, best known for documentaries investigating global patterns of kleptocracy, lobbyism, financialization and extractivism. His production company WG Film was founded in 1994 and is known for title such as Push (2019), Bikes vs Cars (2015) and Bananas*! (2009).
A Green bond is a fixed-income financial instruments (bond) which is used to fund projects that have positive environmental and/or climate benefits. They follow the Green Bond Principles stated by the International Capital Market Association (ICMA), and the proceeds from the issuance of which are to be used for the pre-specified types of projects.
Denis Delestrac is a French director and producer who is best known for creating feature-length investigative documentaries. His films focus on the ecological, social, and political impacts of natural resources. His film, Sand Wars, influenced the United Nations Environmental Program to write a report on sand scarcity in 2019.
Josh Fox is an American film director, playwright and environmental activist, best known for his Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning 2010 documentary, Gasland. He is the founder and artistic director of a film and theater company in New York City, International WOW, and has contributed as a journalist to Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, NowThis, AJ+ and Huffington Post.
Big Boys Gone Bananas!* is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Fredrik Gertten. The film is about how Gertten's film company was sued by Dole for the 2009 documentary film Bananas!*. This lawsuit is a type of case known as a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP).
Adrian Parr Zaretsky is an Australian-born philosopher and cultural critic. She specializes in environmental philosophy and activism. In addition, she published on the sustainability movement, climate change politics, activist culture, and creative practice.
The environment of North Korea comprises the diverse ecosystems of the part of the Korean peninsula controlled by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This includes alpine, forest, farmland, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
Sand Wars is a documentary by director Denis Delestrac and produced by Rappi Productions, La Compagnie des Taxi-Brousse, InfomAction, Arte France, with the support of The Santa Aguila Foundation.
The Green Film Network is an international association of environmental film festivals and was founded to support the work of international documentary filmmakers and promote films that raise awareness of environmental topics. The network currently comprises 32 festivals in 23 countries.
The Italian Environmental Film Festival is an important Italian film festival founded in 1998 and taking place every year in Turin, Italy. It is a member of the Environmental Film Festival Network, which is an association of international festivals in environmental issues.
WG Film is a Swedish production company that produces national and international documentaries. The company is located in Malmö and was founded in 1994 by documentary filmmaker Lars Westman and journalist Fredrik Gertten.
Becoming Zlatan is a 2015 Swedish independent coming-of age sports documentary about Swedish International association football player Zlatan Ibrahimović. The film was directed by brothers Fredrik and Magnus Gertten and follows Ibrahimović through his formative years with football clubs Malmö FF and AFC Ajax all the way to his break through with Juventus FC in 2005.
Landfill Harmonic is a 2015 documentary film directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley. It stars and tells the story of Paraguayan music teacher Favio Chavez and his Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, a children's orchestra in Paraguay which performs with materials recycled from a trash landfill near Asunción. According to The Huffington Post, "[t]he film is both an exposé on the harsh conditions of slum life and a commentary on the global threats of consumption and waste".
