The best environmental cinema gets to the faculties of Biology and Library and Information Sciences

From the 7th to the 9th of November, the faculties of Biology and Library and Information Sciences are holding a workshop and the screening of three short documentaries of the official section of the festival.
From the 7th to the 9th of November, the faculties of Biology and Library and Information Sciences are holding a workshop and the screening of three short documentaries of the official section of the festival.
Culture
(02/11/2017)

For the sixth year in a row, the University of Barcelona is one of the official headquarters of the International Environmental Cinema Festival (FiCMA), the oldest one within this genre, which this year celebrates its 24th edition. Once more, the festival turns Barcelona into the world capital for environmental awareness with screenings, from the 2nd to the 10th of November, of 140 films -among documentaries and fiction films- which can be watched in different areas of the city. Under the logo #enlasevapell, the festival invites people to take care of the life of all living beings of the planet. That is why this yearʼs poster, apart from taking us closer to the environmental problems of several areas of the planet, focuses on the best practices and lifestyle changes, both individual and collective.

From the 7th to the 9th of November, the faculties of Biology and Library and Information Sciences are holding a workshop and the screening of three short documentaries of the official section of the festival.
From the 7th to the 9th of November, the faculties of Biology and Library and Information Sciences are holding a workshop and the screening of three short documentaries of the official section of the festival.
Culture
02/11/2017

For the sixth year in a row, the University of Barcelona is one of the official headquarters of the International Environmental Cinema Festival (FiCMA), the oldest one within this genre, which this year celebrates its 24th edition. Once more, the festival turns Barcelona into the world capital for environmental awareness with screenings, from the 2nd to the 10th of November, of 140 films -among documentaries and fiction films- which can be watched in different areas of the city. Under the logo #enlasevapell, the festival invites people to take care of the life of all living beings of the planet. That is why this yearʼs poster, apart from taking us closer to the environmental problems of several areas of the planet, focuses on the best practices and lifestyle changes, both individual and collective.

Some of the best environmental films of this year can be watched at the UB thanks to FiCMA. The Faculty of Biology screens films every year, but this year the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences joins the festival too. A total of three film screenings and a workshop on sustainable cinema production are the activities to be held by both centers. It will take place from the 7th to the 9th of November, with free and open entrance for all audiences.

Workshop on sustainable cinema

For the first time, the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences (C. Melcior de Palau, 140) opens its doors to FiCMA to bring the festival closer to the students of Audiovisual Communication. The FiCMA Pro section will hold the workshop Producing films in a sustainable way, which will take place on November 7, at 10 a.m. in the sala dʼactes room of the Faculty. This workshop, aimed at the professionals from the audiovisual field, will cover -with real and practical examples- how cinema production can be carried out in a more sustainable way. It will analyse the filming in a global and specific way, department after department, to identify areas of action and improvement, it will present the figure of the eco-assistant, and will show examples of assessment on sustainability and will tell how to calculate the environmental impact of a filming. The objective is for participants to discover and keep different resources in order to make audiovisual productions more sustainable and develop a critical attitude towards filmings, which usually have a high environmental impact. The workshop is led by Ana Galán, cinema and television producer, journalist and expert in sustainable development.

Screenings

The UB will also hold, the premiere for three short documentaries from the official section of the festival. These screenings will start on November 9 in the Sala de Graus room of the Faculty of Biology (c. Martí i Franquès s/n) with a double session.  At 10 a.m. the attendants will watch The Last Harvest (Sweden, 2017) by Tina-Marie Qwiberg. This short film shows the urgent task carried out by experts and farmers to find a solution to the problems caused by our agricultural practices: problems such as desertification, erosion and pollution, a reduction in biodiversity and loss of organic matter. The session will be presented by Professor Xavier Sans, from the UB, director of the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio).

Then, at 4 p.m. Straws (United States, 2017) by Linda Booker, will be screened. Millions of plastic straws are thrown into the garbage and end up in the sea. In 2015, a viral video about a turtle with a straw stuck on its nose served to raise awareness in a worldwide campaign. The idea of the documentary Straws came up out of this episode,  and it is obtaining awards worldwide. The actor and director Tim Robbins narrates the documentary, telling the story of straws, and gathers stories from marine researchers, committed citizens and businessmen who debate on the possibilities to take alternatives which are less dangerous to the environment.

The final screenings will  take place at the Faculty of Library and Information Sciences with the documentary Empatía (Catalunya, 2017). The Catalan filmmaker Ed Antoja directs and stars in this work, which aims to raise awareness on animals. Co-produced by the producing company La Diferència and the Foundation for the Adoption, Sponsorhip and Defense of Animals (FAADA), with the subtitle Una historia sobre el respeto animal contada por un esceptico, and it can be defined as the chronicle of the awareness of its director and main character. Empatía provides shocking figures and it reports the pain animals suffer due consumption habits humans have standardized. It makes so with a language that mixes fiction, advertising styles and documentary narration, but avoiding cruel images. Its objective is to get closer to a more responsible lifestyle regarding animals. This screening was scheduled on Wednesday November 8 but due the general strike in Catalonia, the activity is on hold until a new date is set.


With the collaboration of FiCMA, the UB validates its commitment to the environment and the sustainability, and goes for the pedagogical values of the cinema to disseminate and raise environmental awareness.

The complete schedule of FiCMA is available in this link.

FiCMA 2017 spot: