For the fifth time, the French association Ecoprod awarded green film productions that were presented at the Cannes film festival. At the 79th edition of the Festival du film the Ecoprod Award was handed out to the competition film Soudain (All of a sudden) by Japanese director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi. Produced as a German-Belgian-French co-production, the film was partly shot in France. It was produced by Cinéfrance Studios, Office Shirous, Bitters End, Heimat Films, Tarantula, and Arte France.
The story takes place in a care facility for the elderly in the Paris suburbs, where the film crew actually lived during shooting and mingled with the residents.“Since we filmed there for such a long time, many of the residents and staff members ended up participating in the film”, said Ryusuke Hamaguchi. “Some appeared as extras, while others watched from their windows.”
The award ceremony took place on WWF France’s sailboat. “What struck me about the most environmentally committed films is that you can also sense a different kind of human quality on set”, said actress und writer Aure Atika, who chaired the jury. “It’s as if environmental awareness also awakens a sense of community. Eco-production means rethinking how we make films without losing the desire, the freedom.”
Further jury members included the photographer and filmmaker Vincent Munier, the producer Philip Boeffard, Impact Story efunder Mamadou Dembele, eco-production coordinator Gwladys Bouillon-Pacheco,, Clémentine Buren, Jean-Philippe Lefevre, Director of Engagement at WWF France, and Muriel Signouret, CSR Director of the SNCF Group.
“We are delighted to see the diversity of projects currently addressing environmental issues. Ecology is no longer a peripheral or passing trend: it has become a permanent fixture at the heart of creative and production thinking and practices, transcending all genres and budgets, combined with the high quality of the submissions”, eco-production coordinator Gwladys Bouillin-Pacheco pointed out.” n this regard, the Ecoprod Award plays an essential role by highlighting works that demonstrate it is possible to combine the artistic standards upheld by the Cannes selection with a genuine environmental ambition.”
“It’s fascinating to look into these projects and see the scope of the work that’s been done; it speaks to a proactive and positive commitment”, added Philip Boeffard co-founder of Nord-Ouest Films. “Each film has a specific production model that determines the constraints and parameters of its ecological approach. It’s inspiring because it’s not just about applying rules, but about developing a genuine strategy and mindset capable of enhancing effectiveness and making the message more impactful.”
Moreover, the jury dedicated a special mention to the Cannes competition film Notre Salut (A Man of his time) by Emmanuel Marre. The drama is set during the Vichy regime in 1940, where a writer hopes to gain influence in the newly established regime with his manuscript. The film was produced by Kidam, Michigan Films, Condor Distribution, Les Films Pelléas, Unité, Les Films de Pierre, The Ink Connection, France 2 Cinéma, Orange Proximus, BeTV, and RTBF.
“The time for half-measures and climate denial is over. Unless we move quickly away from fossil fuels, we’re going to destroy the air we breathe, the water we drink, the health of our children, grandchildren and future generations. If we’re going to avoid the worst of the impacts, then we’ve just got to act boldly. And we must act immediately."
Robert Redford
Actor, Director, Producer, Environmentalist
"The media has a powerful role to play in the fight against climate change. Through films, television, and all media outlets, we must continue to deliver the message that solutions are out there and are happening now. We have to make it attractive for people to take action. Movies like Avatar, The Day After Tomorrow, and documentaries like Years of Living Dangerously, which I was proud to be a part of, have been very popular, reaching and inspiring millions of people. And I believe films in particular can really inspire and make people want to take action. It’s great to see some of my film-industry friends working with climate related organizations to push forward those messages."
„It‘s high time to reorganize film production in Germany in a ‚greener‘ and more sustainable way. So far, I am flabbergasted by how much our industry works in environmentally harmful ways.To this very day, it starts with until today one-sided print-outs of scripts, and then it continues with plastic bottles in production offices and lots of plastic waste with every catered meal, and it doesn‘t stop with the limousines that pull up to a red carpet.
For many years, people have sneered at me when I brought my own cup or I declined to eat cheap meat served on paper or plastic plates with plastic knives and forks. It would be great if the Green Shooting Card could change all that.“
Director (Ben X, Time of My Life)
„It’s absolutely great that filmmakers all over the world are trying to clean up their act, and are trying to film as sustainable as we possibly can. Still, I think we shouldn’t underestimate the incredible power of the moving image to also change the hearts and minds of people.
So, apart from trying to be more environmentally aware in our business, I think the big gain lies in how we might make everyone more environmentally aware. Yes, cinema can change the world.
I think filmmakers should start using the powerful weapon in our hands that is the camera.
Let’s not only try to do ‘less bad’. Let’s try to do right, and help drive the change that we all know needs to arrive.“
“We are living in a time in which we can’t afford to behave irresponsibly towards nature. The more important is it that film productions try to work as environmentally friendly as possible. A film team produces every day tons of garbage. I try to avoid using plastic cups on set, I bring my own cup, use ecofriendly cosmetics and avoid needless single rides.”
Photo ® Maddalena Arosio
Darren Aronofsky, Director, Noah / Jury President, 65th Berlin International Film Festival
“When we did Noah we knew we were making a film about the first steward of the earth, so we wanted to be good stewards ourselves. There’s so much waste on film sets. Because of groups like Earth Angel, we were able to change that a little bit.”
"As a TV and film producer I try to incorporate environmental storylines into my projects as much as possible. But it’s just as important, if not more, to ‚go green‘ behind the scenes! Therefore, I help run the Producers Guild of America’s Green Initiative.
We provide resources such as a Best Practices and a Carbon Calculator to help producers green their productions. We also partnered with all the major studios to create www.greenproductionguide.com which is a free green vendor database with over 2,000 vendors offering sustainable production solutions worldwide!"
‚Green screens excepted, we will do everything in our power to be as innovative as we can in order to make our production as green as possible.‘
Photo: (c) herbXfilm Dieter Mayr
Lars Jessen
Director (Fraktus, Dorfpunks, Am Tag als Bobby Ewing starb)
‘It is somewhat embarrassing that green filming is only now becoming an issue in our industry because there have long since been many possibilities to shoot more efficiently.
Technical innovations such as energy efficient lighting are as much a part of this as the awareness of every crew member.’
I do work with a company in the States called Sungevity that leases solar panels to homes. They figured out how to move forward environmentally and how to make it economically successful.
So that’s my small but steadfast global contribution. I think everybody doing a little bit is all that’s made any difference, ever.‘
Producer, Director and Visual Effects Supervisor (2001: A Space Odysee, Blade Runner)
"Trumbull Studios in Massachusetts is dedicated to being green as much as possible, including the use of LED lighting, solar power, and solar laptops. This is not just because our location has limited amperage and no three-phase, we believe we have a responsibility to our community and our planet to be a clean industry.
We are planning for digital photography in 3D 4K at 120 frames per second from remote and inaccessible locations that will not have available power. Solar is the way to go."
Dieter Kosslick, Director Berlin International Film Festival
„The Berlinale is already actively addressing the sustainability subject since years. We appreciate it very much that a growing number of filmmakers, among them this year‘s jury presiden Darren Aranofsky, is following green guidelines on set.“
Benoit Delhomme
Director of Photography (A Most Wanted Man)
‘I never have been told precisely what the rules are for shooting a green movie, but we are trying to do it. This is something new for me. Sometimes people overlight scenes at night. I don’t. If I can see with my own eyes, then it is enough for the film. In that sense I am a green DoP.’
Academy Award winner Jeremy Irons who stars in the Berlinale Competition entry The Night Train To Lisbon is a fan of source segregated recycling. „Especially in Germany you have done a lot for that. You are examplary in the matter of waste separation.“
The Hollywood actor travelled around the world to promote the environmntal documentary feature film Trashed by Candida Brady which deals with the global garbage problem: „We buy it, we bury it, we burn it and then we ignore it“, says Brady. „With Jeremy Irons as our guide, we discover what happens to the billion or so tons of waste that goes unaccounted for each year.“
Since the world premiere at the International Cannes Film Festival in 2012 Trashed picked up various nominations and awards at international festivals.
The award ceremony took place on WWF France’s sailboat. “What struck me about the most environmentally committed films is that you can also sense a different kind of human quality on set”, said actress und writer Aure Atika, who chaired the jury. “It’s as if environmental awareness also awakens a sense of community. Eco-production means rethinking how we make films without losing the desire, the freedom.”
Robert Redford
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Hannes Jaenicke
Nic Balthazar
Nadeshda Brennicke, Actress
Darren Aronofsky, Director, Noah / Jury President, 65th Berlin International Film Festival
Tim Bevan
Thekla Reuten
Rachael Joy
Nikola Rakocevi
Nadja Schildknecht
Michael Bully Herbig
Lars Jessen
Helen Hunt
Douglas Trumbull
Dieter Kosslick, Director Berlin International Film Festival
Benoit Delhomme
Jeremy Irons