Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival announces 2018 Award Winning films

Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners

Slater Jewell-Kemker’s Youth Unstoppable named Best Canadian Feature, while Farhan Umedaly's Sun on Top of the House takes Best Canadian Short Award. Hannah Donegan and Ann Shin winners of The Green Pitch with The New Black Gold.

The 19th Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival took place October 25 to 28, 2018 planetinfocus.org

TORONTO - Closing a very successful 19th edition, the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival (PiF) has unveiled its award winners for 2018. Announced at the festival’s Closing Night Gala, the awards include:

Best International Short           

A Film about Animals (for my children to watch when they are older)

Eric Daniel Metzgar, USA (2016)

This filmed “letter” to his children, in which director Metzgar shows that despite the valiant efforts of Cambodia's Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team, animal life is disappearing illegally from the country's rainforests was selected by the following jury: Programmer Elwood Jimmy, from Musagetes; Acting Executive Producer of TRT World Stavroula Logothettis; Sally Lee, the Executive Director of CARFAC; PIF Board Member Daniela Ponce; and PIF 2017 International Short winner Jenny Nichols.

Best Canadian Short  

Sun on Top of the House

Farhan Umedaly, Canada (2018)

Umedaly’s portrait of British Columbia's largest community solar project, in which the Haida people have reclaimed control of their sacred lands and become leaders in renewable energy, was selected by the following jury: TIFF Shorts Programmer Lisa Haller; Pure + Simple Co-Founder Jean Eng; Environmental Communications Manager Thomas Jenkins; PIF Board Member and Treasurer Alice Madolciu; and 2017 Best Canadian Short Winner Scott Dobson.

Best International Feature           

When Lambs Become Lions

Jon Kasbe, USA (2018)

Kasbe’s luminous and gripping portrayal of Kenya's poaching crisis was selected by the following jury: Green Film Network Member Samer Angelone; Environmental Journalist Christina Gabetti; PIF Board Member Ravi de Costa; CarribeanTales Programming Coordinator Mandisa Pantin; and 2017 Best International Feature Winner David Borenstein.

Best Canadian Feature   

Youth Unstoppable

Slater Jewell-Kemker, Canada/USA/Nepal/Mexico (2018)

PIF 2018 Opening Night Gala film, Slater Jewell-Kemker’s debut feature charting the rise of the Global Youth Climate Movement was selected by the following jury: Filmmakers Lisa Jackson and Maureen Judge; CBC producer Caroline Underwood; Reel Canada's Deanna Wong; and 2017 Best Canadian Feature Winner Chanda Chevannes. The Jury also awarded an Honourable Mention to Liz Marshall’s Midian Farm.

Mark Haslam Award       

El Taco Mazahua, entre el oro verde y la monarca

Juan Pablo Ortíz Tallavas, Mexico, (2017)

In Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Preserve, Indigenous farmers are reversing the hazardous effects of monoculture and chemical fertilizers to make the land—and the neighbouring butterfly forest--sustainable again. Award determined by PIF Senior Programmer Marc Glassman and PIF Programmer Julian Carrington.

Green Pitch Prize (worth over $25k in services & cash)

The New Black Gold, Hannah Donegan and Ann Shin

Hannah Donegan and Ann Shin’s film project which will follow four industry leaders across the globe as they transform human sewage into sustainable and profitable resources was selected by the following jury: Bruce Fleming, Partner and Audio Lead at Eggplant Picture and Sound; Gave Lindo, executive director of OTT programming at the CBC; and Hot Docs Industry Programmer Madelaine Russo.

The Green Pitch was sponsored by Eggplant Picture & Sound, Muskoka North Film Studios, SIM International, William F. White, Dynamix Solutions, Pie in the Sky Studios, The Source Shop, Duncan Morin, Trinity Square Video, Supergroup Sonic Branding, and Daniela Ponce Publicity.

About Planet in Focus

Planet in Focus is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to use film as a catalyst for change by raising awareness of critical environmental issues through a variety of media-based initiatives including; the Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, the Green School Tours, Eco-Film Lab, the PIF Student Film Festival and year-round screenings that showcase the best environmental films from Canada and around the world. PlanetinFocus.org

Planet in Focus gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Celebrate Ontario, Toronto Arts Council, Ontario Creates, Telefilm Canada, and Heritage Canada.

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#PiF2018

My Tiff18 10 films I watched in 10 days.

The Toronto International Film Festival Just wrapped up yesterday and this year I saw a lot fewer films and this year had a noticeable change to the vibe of the festival.

Out was Harvey Weinstein and his Big and Little Indie films and in was a lot more female directors and films that don't have the Hollywood star power.

My Tiff was stacked with volunteer shifts at the beginning of the festival and watching a few films during the week followed by a closing night shift and a couple of rush lines.

This year's People's Choice Winner was my favourite film that I saw at the festival this year and I saw it the day before the festival so I was hoping it would have been A Star is Born because I wasn't able to see that film this week even though I was volunteering on that shift and got to see the Stars of the film.

Here is the list of films I saw this year in my order of Preference.

1.  Green Book - Look for Academy Award nominations for Viggo Mortenssen and Mehershali Ali who gave stellar performances in this film.  This is a multi layered film that is beautiful and thoughtful.

2.  Driven - Jason Sudekis plays the neighbour of the Delorian designer and they get involved in some shady dealings together.  Fun to watch the production design of this film.

3.  This Changes Everything - A documentary that was close to my heart because it showed data on how women are not given the same opportunities as men in the film industry and if you are a visible minority you have even less chances of getting work in the industry.

4.  Public - Emilio Esteves directs this drama about homeless men who decide to take over the public library on one cold night in Cincinnati.  The scene at the end is very memorable.

5.  Sharkwater Extinction - This is the final film by Rob Stewart the champion activist for the survival of Sharks and putting a spotlight on how shark finning is destroying our ecological environment.  This film is both beautiful, brutal and sad because it's bittersweet that the film was made but Rob Stewart didn't live to see it's fruition.  The family were in attendance at the screening.

6.  A Private War - Rosamund Pike plays a tortured journalist who is compelled to go to war zones to tell people's stories at the risk of her own life.  This is a true story of a female journalist who would go to lengths that her male counterparts wouldn't.  She covered historic news events that no one else did.

7.  Widows - Starring Viola Davis and Michelle Rodriguez who play widows who join forces with other widows who are threatened to come up with the money that was lost after their failed heist.  Viola Davis is as intense as expected.  Liam Neeson plays her husband and his character does a lot of unexpected things.  Colin Farrel plays a  shady Mayoral candidate and Daniel Kaluuya plays a totally evil sadistic enforcer.  This is a Hollywood blockbuster of a film

8.  Life Itself - Created by the writer of the TV show This is Us. - This is a film that is broken up into a few stories with some connecting links.  The most compelling story was with Antonio Banderas who finally plays a good man in this film.  Bring the tissues for this one.

9.  Vox Lux - Natalie Portman plays a badly behaved pop star who's hard living takes a toll on her. A big stretch for Portman but I think the film could have been better in the hands of a different director.

10   Husband Material - I was at the world premiere of this Bollywood Film.  This film was more of a music video strung together with some aggressive character dialogue.  I didn't connect with the characters of this predictable film and didn't stay for the whole film but the audience who obviously knew the actors were enthralled with it.  I think this has a specific audience that isn't me.