US Embassy supports DREFF 2015

The United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic supported the Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) in its fifth edition. The award allowed five U.S. filmmakers to visit DREFF, September 8-13, 2015, and to screen their films to Dominican audiences around the country. Ruth Urry, Cultural Attaché of the American Embassy in Santo Domingo, gave warm remarks on the opening night of DREFF, thanking the opportunity to be part of this initiative,
consistent with their sustainable development aims, and their academic and cultural exchange programs in the country.

Paul Lazarus, director or SlingShot; Michael Graziano, director of Resistance; Angela Sun, director of Plastic Paradise; Angela Alston, producer of The Wisdom to
Survive; and Laura Kissel, director of Cotton Road, traveled to the DR and actively engaged with audiences in several cities, screening their movies and sharing their vast cinematographic and environmental knowledge and experiences with Dominican students, teachers and general public at lively Q&A sessions and panel discussions.

Venues such as UNIBE, Colegio Bilingüe New Horizons, Centro Cultural Perelló, The Colonial Gate Cinema,
Instituto Tecnológico Las Américas (ITLA), among others, hosted these screenings as part of DREFF.

The filmmakers also participated in several social gatherings and activities organized by DREFF for them to enjoy the Dominican Republic and also meet with local authorities and representatives of civil society organizations.

More information about DREFF: www.dreff.org