November 14, 2016 — Marrakech, Morocco — Inspiring the Climate Action Agenda at the Marrakech Climate Conference COP22 the winning filmmakers of the World Bank Group’s 2016 Film4Climate Global Video Competition were celebrated on the large screen on Sunday and received awards for achievement in filmmaking around themes supporting the Sustainable Development Goals The winners were selected by a jury of esteemed film, communications and environmental luminaries including the Jury President, Bernardo Bertolucci.
“To be part of a process that both encourages and then rewards filmmakers for telling stories about a critical issue like climate change, is an honor I don’t know if I am worthy of,” said Bertolucci whose films include “Last Tango in Paris” and “The Conformist.” Awards were given to artists for best Short Film and best Public Service Announcement (PSA). Special awards were given for videos dealing with Pricing Carbon Pollution, for videos from the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), for the Popular Vote and for Young filmmakers, aged 14-17 years old.
The Film4Climate Global Video Competition 2016 winners were announced as part of the daylong event “Film4Climate: Empowering Global Climate Action” presented by the Connect4Climate program of the World Bank Group at the historic Cinema Le Colisée in Marrakech. The event was supported by H.E. Minister Hakima El Haite, Special Envoy for Mobilization of COP22 and High-Level Climate Champion of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), who stated, “Now is the time for climate action, and young people are key drivers to accelerate this action. COP22 is a global platform to show the world the creativity of young filmmakers and artists, and how they are invested in solving climate change.”
Lucia Grenna, Program Manager for the World Bank Group’s Connect4Climate program, states, “The winning films of the Film4Climate, and all of this year’s submissions, are extraordinary in showing the vision of the world’s youth in taking positive action to tackle climate change. They convey the zeitgeist rising within young people across the globe who are changing their lifestyles dramatically, and taking definitive action to do their part in protecting the world as we know it. I am humbled and honored by their vision, and their artistry in expressing the will and ethos of their generation.”
An unprecedented 863 entries from 155 different countries were received for the 2016 Film4Climate Video Competition, a project of The World Bank’s Connect4Climate initiative. The competition called on filmmakers to explore Climate Action, the 13th goal under the UN Sustainable Development Goals, emphasizing individual and community actions that offer solutions and inspire positive change to combat climate change and its impacts.
“I just thought I had a story to tell about climate change that others might like to hear. I never thought I would win this contest, let alone be in Morocco in front of all these other artists and climate activists,” said Spencer Sharp shortly after being awarded the $8,000 first prize for Best Short Film.
Two second prizes for Short Film went to Nathan Dappen, for “The Snow Guardian”, a film about Billy Barr, who for forty years collected data on snow to pass the time in his isolated part of the world, and Lulu DeBoer, for “Love Note to an Island,” a film about a girl returning to her home island in the Pacific to find it disappearing under the rising tide. And the third prizes went to Christopher Hanson of the United States, whose film, “Plastic Pollution, Our Oceans, Our Future” focused on pollution of the ocean by plastics, and Karim Saheb of Finland whose film “Pakkaspoika (Polar Bear)” is a short look into the life of a young Finnish boy taking the matter of climate change into his own hands.
For Public Service Announcement, in this case defined as informational videos shorter than one minute, the top prize went to Josh Dawson for a piece about how global warming and climate change directly affects foods and consumer from third world countries.
Videos from younger artists were incredibly impressive, with the prize for Best Short film going to 15-year-old Rameshwar Bhatt who took the top honor for his film entitled “A Sun at Night,” which explores solar energy. 15-year-old Antonio Heitor Cantão won the award for the age group’s best PSA with a piece focused on the fragility and uniqueness of our planet.
Other awards were given out in Marrakech included the MENA Award, for the best entry from the Middle East and North Africa regions. Ferdaous Abouhaouari won this award for the film “Before It’s Too Late”, and The Popular Vote winner, established by online voting over the last three months, went to Skyros Team of Greece for her film “Can We?”
In addition, the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition introduced The Price on Carbon Pollution Award for the best entry by a participant dealing with the topic of carbon pricing and cost of climate change. The prize, a trip to the COP, was given to Kaia Rose for the film “Climate Countdown: Carbon Pricing” and to Daniel Martinez Martinez for “Your Choice”.
Film4Climate Jury members and film directors Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener, and the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony), Farida Benlyazid (Women’s Wiles, A Door to the Sky), Mika Kaurismaki (The Girl King, Road North, House of Branching Love) and actor Christopher Lambert (Highlander, Greystoke) led the awards ceremony.
Dedicated to celebrating the power of cinema and global youth’s creativity in encouraging positive climate action, the event featured a special screening of Academy Award-winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Fisher Steven’s newly released climate change documentary “Before the Flood,” which aired on National Geographic in 171 countries and 45 languages, the Global World Premier of National Geographic’s “Years of Living Dangerously – Fueling the Fire” featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Gisele Bündchen, and a special World Preview of energy documentary “Power.” Each showing was followed by a discussion with experts in the field.
The day featured influential climate and communications leaders, including Moroccan Delegate Minister for the Environment and Climate Champion H.E. Hakima El Haite; University Professor Jeffrey Sachs; Laura Tuck, Vice President for Sustainable Development at the World Bank; John Roome, Senior Director, Climate Change, at the World Bank; Rachel Kyte, CEO of Sustainable Energy for All and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General; Vanessa Fajans-Turner from the Avatar Foundation, and others. The Earth To Marrakech Movement was launched on the day, the short film "Malama" was premiered featuring Malia Badis, and Kathleen Rogers, President of Earth Day Network, announced their Global Climate Literacy activities.
The winners will be exhibited far and wide as part of a Film4Climate package to be shown at International Film Festivals and other venues eager to portray the power of film to effect change, and the enthusiasm and creativity of young filmmakers ready to play a major role in fashioning the world they will live in.
The winners of the Film4Climate Global Video Competition are as follows:
First Prize for Best Short Film:
“Three Seconds” by director Spencer Sharp, USA — https://youtu.be/sacc_x-XB1Y
First Prize for Best Public Service Announcement:
“Action Contre La Faim” by director Josh Dawson, Australia — https://youtu.be/oXQABzX53pw
Second Prizes for Best Short Film:
“The Snow Guardian” by director Nathan Dappen, USA –– https://youtu.be/u9rTyw6zylM
“Love Note to an Island” by director Lulu DeBoer, Kiribati / USA –– https://youtu.be/utSs6Zo74Kk
Second Prize for Best Public Service Announcement:
“Your Choice” by director Daniel Martinez Martinez, Spain — https://youtu.be/KYLyOH_SkzM
Third Prizes for Best Short Film:
“Plastic Pollution, Our Oceans, Our Future” by director Christopher Hanson, USA —https://youtu.be/zvWOdW0dGxk
“Pakkaspoika (Polar Bear)” by director Karim Saheb, Finland — https://youtu.be/PI9ydyvgOng
Third Prize for Best Public Service Announcement:
“Syria: When the Water Runs Out” by director Loic Jouan, France —https://youtu.be/83by3VM52T0
MENA Prize:
“Before It’s Too Late” by director Ferdaous Abouhaouari, Morocco — https://youtu.be/Ciz0rO9_VBo
People’s Choice Prize:
“Can We?” by Skyros Team, Greece — https://youtu.be/Zo-UsBd-O8A
Put a Price on Carbon Pollution Prize for Best Short Film:
“Climate Countdown: Carbon Pricing” by director Kaia Rose, USA —https://youtu.be/NA59sLmtIFE
Put a Price on Carbon Pollution Prize for Best Public Service Announcement:
“Your Choice” by director Daniel Martinez Martinez, Spain — https://youtu.be/V2NuDrT_PJk
YOUNG Prize for Best Short Film:
“A Sun at Night” by director Rameshwar Bhatt, India — https://youtu.be/BB7qWDXBr_w
YOUNG Prize for Best Public Service Announcement:
“Pale Blue Dot” (Pálido Ponto Azul) by director Antonio Heitor Cantão - https://youtu.be/V2NuDrT_PJk
