Celebrating Women at the DCEFF

Natasha Despotovic, executive director of GFDD and DREFF, shared a panel in which she presented GFDD’s latest production, Value of Life, with two other renowned female directors

For the 4th year, Women in Film and Video hosted a breakfast at Restaurant Nora in Washington D.C. during the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation´s Capital (DCEFF) to celebrate women and film. On this occasion, the director of the Dominican
Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF), Natasha Despotovic, who presented the latest GFDD production, Value of Life – codirected by her-participated in a panel with other two renowned directors of documentaries, Sandy Cannon-Brown (Beautiful Swimmers Revisited) and Marilyn Weiner (Dispatches from the Gulf).

WIFV supports women in the industry by promoting equal opportunities, encouraging professional development, serving as an
information network, and educating the public about women’s creative and technical achievements, as highlighted by Melissa Houghton, Executive Director of Women in Film and Video D.C., during her introduction.

Flo Stone, Founder of the DCEFF, who moderated the panel , explained that this year’s Festival will see the largest number of women filmmakers participating in its 24 year history with more than 60 percent of film screenings, festival-wide, made by women. “Of those 88 women filmmakers, 50 of them are directors or co-directors of their films. Since 2014, EFF’s festival programming has featured nearly 250 films made by women.”

During the breakfast, which was attended by environmentalists, representatives of the film industry, and the media, clips from all three films were presented. Value of Life will be celebrating its premiere in the United States tomorrow, Friday 18, at the Dominican Night, which
GFDD and DREFF organize in collaboration with DCEFF each year.

GFDD Productions
Natasha Despotovic said that DREFF “greatly appreciates our collaborative relationship with our friends at DCEFF. In fact, they inspired us for the creation of our own festival, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival”.

The director of Value of Life explained that as part of the programs
developed throughout the year under the umbrella of the DREFF, GFDD has been devoted in recent years to produce short environmental films that show the richness and the biodiversity of the Dominican Republic, the challenges, and the most successful environmental initiatives.

“We focus on presenting socio-economic and environmental challenges as well as highlighting good practices and promoting innovative solutions."

"We
realized with the DREFF, that there are few filmmakers focused on environmental film. By showing our productions we aimed to encourage young filmmakers to produce documentaries in this area and show the world a piece of the Dominican Republic," continued the Director of GFDD.

Panelists Biographies
List of Women Filmmakers at EFF 2016

About DREFF
Since its creation in 2011, the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival has been providing Dominicans with a platform of knowledge and debate on the environment and sustainable development, along with its challenges and best practices while celebrating the unique beauty and
wealth that is the Dominican Republic’s natural heritage. With a diverse selection of films and numerous panels, workshops, seminars, and community activities, the DREFF promotes dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience, inspiring Dominicans to adopt actions that contribute to the appreciation, conservation, and sustainable use of their environmental resources.

About DCEFF
The Environmental Film Festival is the leading
showcase for environmental film in the United States and is presented in collaboration with over 100 local, national, and global organizations. Festival films are screened at 52 venues throughout the Washington metropolitan area, including museums, embassies, libraries, universities, and local theaters in all eight wards of the city. Some 70 percent of films are free.

About WIFV
Women in Film and Video is dedicated to advancing the
professional development and achievement for professionals working in all areas of screen-based media and related disciplines. WIFV supports women in the industry by promoting equal opportunities, encouraging professional development, serving as an information network, and educating the public about women’s creative and technical achievements.  WIFV is an affiliate of Women in Film and Television International (WIFTI), a global network of nearly 40 chapters whose total
membership includes more than 10,000 media professionals worldwide. Founded in 1979, it is the premier professional resource for people who want successful media careers in the D.C. metro region. Its resources, connections, and advocates support a vibrant, creative media community.

For more information:
www.dreff.org
http://dceff.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Women-EFF-Filmmakers-Press-Release.pdf
http://vital.dreff.org