The second edition of All Living Things Environmental Film Festival will be held virtually from October 9 to 17, 2021. This year’s lineup consists of 44 films from across 31 countries which are based on the theme of environment and conservation. Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff is the ambassador for the film festival this year. Apart from that, documentary filmmaker, photographer and environmental educator Michael Snyder serves as jury for the film festival. Snyder is an award-winning filmmaker best known for the film festival favourite Into The Dark. He has also directed and producer other award winning documentaries including The Vision Within and A Simpler Way, through his production company Interdependent Pictures.
In a chat with News18, the filmmaker talked about how he became associated with All Living Things Environmental Film Festival as a juror. “I’m an environmental filmmaker, photographer and educator. I have been working in this field in various capacities for about 20 years. A big part of what I do isn’t just film, it is also teaching and engaging with organisations including All Living Things. Not only is that something I enjoy doing, for me as someone who wants to make a difference around these issues, making connections with these organisations is a really important part of my work. In terms of the festival, I was reached out to by the organisers. I had submitted a film to the festival and they saw my work and asked me if I was interested.”
When asked what the audience can expect from the film festival, Snyder said, “It really is a beautiful spread of films. There are some amazing pieces of art here. They are talking about important issues and solutions to those issues. They have really done a great job showcasing excellent films about important issues from all over the planet. I think the online festival is going to be spectacular.”
The lineup of the film festival consists of some critically acclaimed films. But what makes a good documentary on environmental issues, in his opinion? “When you are a juror in a film festival, and for the most part, all jurors agree what a good film should be. But within that, there are different things that different people look for within a film. I’m looking for these things, is it narrative based? Is it a story? If it is just information, we are talking about the issue but we are not following along the story. We are not watching somebody transform, we are not watching anyone struggle with the issues. If we are not watching those things, it is hard for me to care. I’m always looking for great elements of storytelling that you would see in a narrative film,” he shared.
He further added, “Secondarily, I am looking for authenticity. It’s wonderful if it is a beautifully shot film, I love the cinematic aspect of it. But for me, I want it to be real. The thing about documentary films is that we get a chance to see beyond all of the gloss and glamour of expensive filmmaking. We get to see the inside of people’s lives. So I wanna see something real, raw, gritty and vulnerable. To do that filmmakers need to build trust and gain access to real people. And that is really hard to do. So those are the things that move me and I’m looking for when I watch films.”
Snyder also emphasised on the importance on cinema as a medium to raise awareness on environmental issues. “I think it is absolutely critical. I am actually an environmental scientist by training. That’s what I went to University for, in both Under-graduate and Graduate levels. But the thing that struck me ten over years ago was that we know so much about these environmental issues but we aren’t doing more about them. Part of the problem is that many scientists think that if people somehow knew about the science behind these issues, things would change. That makes sense rationally but it is not that simple. There is so much more to the issues, including our personal psychology, our stories and our culture. The only way to get all that and make a difference in that way is to tell a great story.
“So we need to find a way to mesh together science and media. So that’s what I do. Research shows that when you can activate both sides of the brain, by showing the facts and figures about an issue and also connecting it with a story, it becomes personal and emotional. When you do that, people care, and when they care, it raises their willingness to get involved with the issue. That’s really what we want as an outcome,” he signed off.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
Comments
0 comment