2022 FESTIVAL
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Green Film Festival made a return in 2022. For the 2022 festival we partnered with The Royal Society of Chemistry and organised a full-day exhibition that focused on the challenges of microplastics. The 2022 festival opened with a showcase of short films from the Global Research Translation Award project. We also welcomed a number of exciting and engaging expert speakers, who joined us for our screening events, including Ian Redmond OBE, Liz Bonnin, and Sian Conway-Wood. The festival also hosted a number of environmental-themed participatory workshops.
GUEST SPEAKERS
FEATURED FILMS
Festival Coordinators
The 2020 festival also had some amazing volunteers helping to coordinate the festival. This included Alex Smith (AMA), Miriam Kent (AMA), 'Tony' Antonio Degouveia (AMA), Jo-Anne Veltmann (CHAIN), Mark Crutchley (Norwich Greenpeace). We are grateful for all of the help they gave us, they were truly invaluable and we couldn’t have done it without them!
ANTONIO DEGOUVEIA
Tony’s interests in environmental film and activism are born from his own postgraduate research in Film Studies at UEA. He has been involved with the GFF@UEA since its initiation, and has fulfilled a number of roles, including, the introduction of films, being a post-screening expert panellist, and leading schools filmmaking and environmental workshops.
MIRIAM KENT
Miriam Kent is a film and media academic with an interest in human rights and cinema. She has researched superhero films as a site of the complex representation of identity issues, and has a further interest in fantasy and science-fiction narratives. She has aided in the successful delivery of GFF for several years and has been a committee member since 2019.
ALEX SMITH
Alex is a returning member of the GFF@UEA Team. She has been with us since 2019 and has returned to run our social media platforms. Alex is currently preparing alongside Dr. Cornea, for a trip to India to complete filming on multiple short films.
DR. JO-ANNE VELTMANN
Jo-Anne works in communications and campaigns for Climate Hope Action In Norfolk (CHAIN). Jo-Anne has worked with the festival for several years, helping us to organise, as well as participating in several events.
MARK CRUTCHLEY
Mark Crutchley is a member of Norwich Greenpeace, and part of GFF@UEA's Coordinating committee. Mark worked with the festival to assist us in selecting our films and creating a festival which strives towards being environmentally conscious.
PEOPLE
FOUNDER AND FESTIVAL DIRECTOR 2015-2022
DR. CHRISTINE CORNEA
Christine is an Associate Professor at UEA in Film, Television, and Media, with an interdisciplinary research interest in environmental issues. Christine founded the festival and has been the Festival Director since 2016. Christine has recently partnered with the Kalinger Institute of Social Sciences in India, who are launching their Green Film Festival in 2022. Alongside her work for a transdisciplinary Global Challenges Research Fund project called ‘Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals’, Christine has recently produced and directed 15 short documentary films, a number of which directly focus on environmental issues. Christine welcomes any inquiries about the 2015-2022 festivals and can be contacted at c.cornea@uea.ac.uk.
SPECIALIST PLASTICS CONSULTANT
DR. ANDREW MAYES
Andrew is Associate Professor in the School of Chemistry at UEA, where he runs a group researching microplastic waste and novel ways to detect it. He got involved in film-making through media/TV appearances relating to work on microplastics, then working with Christine and Alex on a Global Research Translation project, setting up a microplastics analysis network in Malaysia, where multiple films have been produced for training, education and publicity. Through this, exploring plastics in the environment evolved into a theme for GFF, resulting in a focused event blending science, art and film to highlight issues with plastics, showcase responses and promote practical solutions.
FESTIVAL CO-ORDINATORS
ABBY KIDD
Abby has previously worked for the festival having built its first ever dedicated website in 2020. She has also volunteered in previous years of the festival as an event steward. As a Postgraduate Researcher at UEA, Abby has just submitted her doctoral thesis, which was fully-funded by the CHASE Doctoral Training Partnership. Abby's research explores the symbiotic relationship between science and its fiction and is particularly interested in the development and communication of artificial intelligence. Since working for the festival Abby has also developed an interest in the potential benefits and challenges of innovative technologies on the environment and the world as we know it.
![Kamran Qureshi OLM2000x15000[35769]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a5b746_69ad142183704d078c527bff5edc4efe~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_0,w_1500,h_1498/fill/w_161,h_161,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Kamran%20Qureshi%20OLM2000x15000%5B35769%5D_edited.jpg)
DR. KAMRAN QURESHI
Kamran is an award-winning British Film and Television Director and Academic. His research within film and television includes English language feature films, US television drama series, Indian Cinema and Australian Film and TV, along with directorial experience with his new feature film Only Love Matters, the first movie in cinema history on the subject of intersexuality set in Britain. Kamran has also directed many television drama series, TV shows, and documentaries. Kamran teaches Film, Television and Media at the University of East Anglia and his PhD was in Professional Practice in Film, Television and Media from UEA. Website: www.kamranqureshi.com.
RYAN FORREST
This is Ryan’s first year working with the Green Film Festival and he is currently in the final year of his undergraduate degree in Chemistry at the UEA. Ryan is investigating microplastics for his dissertation in collaboration with CEFAS and has also worked with plastic reducing companies such as RefillMyBottle. Ryan’s interests are in sport and wildlife, and he takes a keen eye to any projects that aim to make these areas greener and more accessible.
DR. MIRIAM KENT
Miriam Kent is a film and media academic with an interest in human rights and cinema. She has researched superhero films as a site of the complex representation of identity issues, and has a further interest in fantasy and science-fiction narratives. She has aided in the successful delivery of GFF for several years and has been a committee member since 2019.
ALEX SMITH
Alex is a returning member of the GFF@UEA Team. She has been with us since 2019 and has previously run our social media platforms. More recently, Alex redesigned the 2022 website ready for the festivals relaunch. Alex is also currently working as a Senior Research Associate on the Global Challenges Research Fund Project. She has to date produced and edited 9 short documentary films in association with the project, a number of which have a focus upon environmental issues. When Alex is not working on these projects, she can be found teaching herself animation and motion design.
ELLIE ROSE
Ellie will be specifically working on the GFF@UEA's special event on plastic waste. She is currently a third-year undergraduate student studying Climate Change and hopes to continue studying this at Master's level next year at UEA.
Assisting with the organisation and creation of the plastic event, she has a passion for education on overconsumption and environmental impacts of individuals. When not studying, Ellie can be found at the Sportspark acting as treasurer for the netball club and partaking in many sporting activities.
DR. ANTONIO DEGOUVEIA
Tony’s interests in environmental film and activism are born from his own postgraduate research in Film Studies at UEA. He has been involved with the GFF@UEA since its initiation, and has fulfilled a number of roles, including, the introduction of films, being a post-screening expert panellist, and leading schools filmmaking and environmental workshops.
ALEX WILSON
Alex has kindly worked as a volunteer technician for the Green Film Festival @UEA since 2016. It is Alex who operates the screening equipment and patiently makes sure that certain technical aspects work smoothly for the festival.
DR. IRAM QURESHI
Dr. Iram Qureshi is a media academic and an award-winning film and television producer and director. She has in-depth knowledge of pioneer British women film directors and post Second World War British Cinema. She also has experience of producing a feature film, Only Love Matters, during Covid, focusing on the safety of the cast, crew and environment. Iram joins us this year to lead a workshop for the festival, entitled: ‘Film and Environment in the Time of Covid.’
![WEB 18MAR. UEA Green Film Festival poster - final 2019 copy[37842].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/a5b746_9862c0b34adb441582d9ad6a3d436dd7~mv2.jpg/v1/crop/x_0,y_65,w_1969,h_2972/fill/w_509,h_768,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/WEB%2018MAR_%20UEA%20Green%20Film%20Festival%20poster%20-%20final%202019%20copy%5B37842%5D.jpg)
SHOWCASING EVENT: FILMMAKING WITHOUT BORDERS
COLLABORATION, EMPOWERMENT AND IMPACT IN GLOBAL RESEARCH PROJECTS.
This Green Film Festival @UEA event explores how filmmaking can add value to global research. From empowering communities to making research accessible and impactful on the ground.
Funded by the UEA's 'Global Research Translation Award' (GRTA), the films being screened are products of transdisciplinary and transnational collaboration between UEA academics and partner universities, production companies and freelancers across 10 countries. Selected screenings will be shown in association with the GRTA research subprojects: Child Malnutrition, Family Literacy, Sustainable Food Systems and Microplastics Pollution. These will vary from short documentaries to info-animations and advocacy films.
Films will be accompanied by talks from academic filmmakers, project investigators and international partners. There will also be a Q&A for both live and digital audiences (watching via YouTube live-stream). In-person UEA speakers will include: Dr Christine Cornea (AMA), Prof Sheng Qi (PHA), Prof Anna Robinson-Pant (EDU), Dr Andrew Mayes (CHE), Prof Nitya Rao (DEV), Asher Minns (Executive Director of Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research).
Pre-recorded commentary from overseas partners will include: Prof Humbero Ferraz (University of São Paulo, Brazil), Dr Chan Siok Yee (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Prof Hatim S. Al-Khatib (University of Jordan), Dr Gina Lontoc (University of Santo Tomas, Philippines), Dr Kamal Raj Devkota (Tribhuvan University, Nepal), Prof Moritz Müller (Swinburne University of Technology in Sarawak, Malaysia), Shuvajit Chakraborty (PRADAN, India) and Dr Shubhasree Shankar (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, India).
This event will run from 3.15-6pm in The Enterprise Centre and is FREE to attend.
2022 PROGRAMME
THURSDAY 19TH MAY
The 2022 Green Film Festival will launch on 19th May with the GRTA project showcasing event, 'Filmmaking without Borders: Collaboration, Empowerment, and Impact in Global Research Projects'. Unlike all the live public screenings and events to follow, this showcase is primarily aimed at UEA research students and staff, although it will also be live-streamed via YouTube for anyone to watch. This showcase will include selected short film screenings and will be accompanied by talks from academic filmmakers, project investigators and international partners. UEA speakers will include Dr Christine Cornea (AMA), Prof Sheng Qi (PHA), Prof Anna Robinson-Pant (EDU), Dr Andrew Mayes (CHE), Prof Nitya Rao (DEV), and Asher Minns (Executive Director of Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research). Pre-recorded commentary from our overseas partners will include Prof Humberto Ferraz (University of São Paulo, Brazil), Dr Chan Siok Yee (Universiti Sains Malaysia), Prof Hatim S. Al-Khatib (University of Jordan), Dr Gina Lontoc (University of Santo Tomas, Philippines), Dr Kamal Raj Devkota (Tribhuvan University, Nepal), Prof Moritz Müller (Swinburne University of Technology in Sarawak, Malaysia), Shuvajit Chakraborty (PRADAN, India) and Dr Shubhasree Shankar (Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences, India).There will be a reception with refreshments from approximately 17.15-18.00.
Introduced by Dr Christine Cornea, this documentary film takes audiences into the heart of Africa's Congo Basin to meet the men and women trying to save the forest elephant from extinction. It is an intimate, character-driven portrait of conservationists and activists who are struggling to stop forest elephant poaching in Africa's Congo Basin region.
For this film screening, we will also be joined by our special guest speaker, Ian Redmond OBE, who is a tropical field biologist and conservationist, well known for his work with elephants and gorillas.
FRIDAY 20TH MAY
Introduced by Dr Christine Cornea, this highly engaging and entertaining film is suitable for family-viewing. Featuring breath-taking cinematography, captivating animals, and an urgent message to heed Mother Nature’s call, this documentary film provides us with a vital blueprint for better living and a healthier planet. The film chronicles the eight-year quest of John and Molly Chester as they trade city living for 200 acres of barren farmland and a dream to harvest in harmony with nature.
SATURDAY 21ST MAY
A PLASTIC JOURNEY: SCIENCE, SOCIETY & SOLUTIONS (INTERACTIVE EXHIBITION)
Foyer Area, The Enterprise Centre, UEA
12.00-19.30
NO BOOKING NECESSARY
With support from:
Join us for a showcase of all things plastic; from captivating films, talks and exhibits, to Q&A sessions and workshops, hosted in one of the UK’s greenest buildings. You’ll have the opportunity to discuss key issues with celebrity guest Liz Bonnin, get hands on with workshops on ecofeminist craftivism and environmental filmmaking, and interact with new and established companies developing approaches for plastic reduction, reuse and replacement. Find out about cutting edge research on plastics, and the global impact that it is making. Bring along your favourite tea bag to find out how environmentally friendly it really is or try your hand at making your own bioplastic!
Learn how crafts can help spread environmental messages and lead to social change by making something new out of something old in this interactive crafts workshop exploring the intersection between environmentalism and feminist activism, led by Dr. Miriam Kent. Ecological feminism, or ‘ecofeminism’, highlights the insights of women in the fight for environmental sustainability, drawing parallels between the exploitation of the earth and the oppression of the disempowered. In this workshop, learn the basics of ecofeminist craftivism and how to use these skills to create your own piece of activism. Craft materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own along too! Open to all 11+ (children under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian).
Trillions of pieces of plastic are choking the very lifeblood of the Earth and every marine animal, from the smallest plankton to the largest mammals, is being affected. In this documentary film, wildlife biologist Liz Bonnin visits scientists working at the cutting-edge of plastics research and joins some of the world's leading marine biologists and campaigners to discover the true dangers of plastic in the oceans and what it means for the future of all life on the planet, including humans. We will be joined in person by our special guest, Liz Bonnin, for an audience Q+A following this screening.
AN AUDIENCE WITH LIZ BONNIN (SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE, Q&A)
Lecture Theatre, The Enterprise Centre, UEA
15.45-16.45
Liz Bonnin is a science, wildlife and natural history presenter, who has worked on television in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. Liz is best known for presenting wildlife and science programmes. For instance, since 2013, Liz has co-presented Countrywise for ITV and has starred in two hard-hitting television documentary films, Drowning in Plastic (2018) and Meat: A Threat to our Planet? She is regarded as one of the most prominent natural world presenters in Britain.
ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES OF MICROPLASTICS (EXPERT TALK AND Q+A)
Lecture Theatre, The Enterprise Centre, UEA
17.00-18.00
Harm caused by plastic pollution in global ecosystems, particularly oceans, has been widely highlighted, which has led to lively public and political debate about our relationship to plastics. It is generally accepted that we cannot continue to behave in the way we have with regard to single-use plastic waste, as demonstrated by the recent announcement by World leaders from 175 countries who are drawing up a legally binding UN treaty that will regulate plastic production and pollution. But what about all the stuff that is already there? Microplastics are small and hard to see, but should “out of sight” be “out of mind”? This talk will take you on a journey through microplastics, from their origins, sources and characteristics, to future questions and challenges. Dr Andrew Mayes is associate professor in the School of Chemistry at UEA. For the past decade he has focused increasingly on the problem of environmental microplastics.
WORKSHOP: FILM AND ENVIRONMENT IN THE TIME OF COVID!
Room 0.07, The Enterprise Centre, UEA
18.15-19.15
Learn about the world of environmental filmmaking. Find out about the positive and negative effects of Covid on filmmaking and the environment. Assess the potential impact of environmental films in contemporary society.
This workshop will consist of an illustrated presentation from the award-winning producer, Dr Iram Qureshi, about her experience of making a feature film during the Covid period. In addition, there will be a series of participant activities concerning film and the environment, including 'props and pictures', and 'film clip reflection'.
Environmentally friendly electric cars, sustainably produced food, fair production - big corporations would have us believe that we can save the world just by buying the right stuff. In his latest documentary, Werner Boote joins forces with Katharina Hartmann, an expert in greenwashing, to uncover the fake promises and green lies designed to seduce consumers.
This screening event will be followed by a guest speaker presentation by Sian Conway-Wood, author of the recently published book, Buy Better Consume Less, and founder of #EthicalHour. There will also be a chance to speak with Sian and to ask questions during the audience Q+A after this presentation.
