Ecoprod awards green productions in Cannes

The French association Ecoprod awarded a prize on green production which were presented at the Cannes Film Festival. In total eleven films qualified for the selection criteria. The applications were reviewd by a jury that included actress and director Audrey Dana, actor Jérémie Rénie and environmental activist Camille Etienne. Further members of the Ecoprod award jury were the set manager and sustainability steward Alexis Giraudeau and producer Barbara Letellier. “I think that cinema is essential, it awakens, it transforms. But it is a polluting industry, and today, we cannot forget that”, says Audrey Dana. “So rather than stop making films, we need to find solutions to make cleaner ones… Ecoprod is working on solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of films.”

 

 

The Ecoprod France Award went to the team of Acide directed by Just Phlippot and produced by Bonne Pioche Cinema. Acide takes place in a world that is about to go under. While clouds of devastating acid rain are descending on France, a fractured family has to unite to face this climatic catastrophe and try to escape it. The jury praised the strong involvement of the entire cast and crew. To achieve an overall sustainable production, awareness was raised throughout the shooting and team members were included in the decision making process through regular meetings with the heads of departments.

 

The consultancy company Secoya assisted the production to implement various measures such as using mostly seasonal organic products for catering and offered entirely vegetarian meals on certain days. The team also reused set equipment from previous Bonne Pioche shoots and purchased second‐hand products. For scenes that require to destroy buildings, the production used visual effects.

 

“The Ecoprod Award is a wonderful recognition of the efforts of the entire film team and a huge encouragement for Bonne Pioche to do even better with a maximum of stakeholders in our network”, stated Yves Darondeau and Clément Renouvin, producers at Bonne Pioche Cinema. “Our responsibility as producers, beyond the artistic and economic ambitions of a film, is to be citizens. Without pretending to be perfect, we are committed to ensuring that all our shoots integrate this desire to limit our carbon footprint. Beyond the artistic success of a film, the team is also proud to be part of the commitment to green production filming.”

 

The International Ecoprod Award went to the team of La Chimera directed by Alice Rohrwacher, which was presented in the Official Competition of he Cannes Film Festival. Set in the 1980s, La Chimera follows a hunter of Etruscan remains, an illegal activity he practices with a group of merry bandits. He has the gift that he can feel emptiness. Produced by Tempesta, Ad Vitam Productions, Amka Film Productions and Rai Cinema, the team worked in close cooperation with the local community, especially with environmental and social associations. The jury praised the commitment of the director, Alice Rohrwacher, alongside the production team, to onboard the entire team in the effort to reduce the environmental footprint of the film.

 

The production was supported by the green production consulting company EcoMuvi. One of the challenges for the production was the energy supply in remote areas. Instead of using diesel generators more than 20 temporary connections to the grid were installed, which reduced the energy‐related carbon footprint by 45 percent.Furthermore most of the costumes were rented or bought second-hand and donated to a charity after the production wrapped. or other film projects to ensure their re‐use. The catering was handled by a local company that served seasonal and regional food, including a vegetarian dish.

 

“Receiving the Ecoprod award is a great achievement, not only for the production and the work it has been doing for years around environmental, social and economics issues, but also for the very territory in which La Chimera was filmed”, says Carlo Cresto‐Dina, General Manager of Tempesta. “People often think that it is difficult or impossible to shoot in a sustainable way in rural areas, but in reality, hard work and passion can lead to excellent results. Our film proves it !”

 

Photos: © Ecoprod, Bonne Pioche Cinema Tempesta