Turning the Film Industry Green

Last Wednesday I attended an event at Edinburgh International Film Festival on Turning the Film Industry Green. Chaired by Harry Giles, Environmental Officer of Edinburgh Festivals, the discussions covered a lot of ground on the environmental challenges facing the film industry.

Clare Kerr, a freelance producer talked about waste being her main concern when she is on a shoot and how difficult it can be to get crew and actors to take even simple steps to reduce waste. She talked about finding it difficult to recycle sets after they've been used, though she has herself been able to recycle a set from an advert in one of her own films. She talked about how she used an old school for a shoot and the gym halls were full of old furniture that the local council was storing there because no-one wanted it. A South African in the audience took up the topic or recycling sets and talked about how the South African film industry sells as many of their sets as possible and many of them end up in the townships to be used as housing there, or in one case, a school. he also talked about the authorities in Cape Town are looking to make a commitment to recycling one of the requirements before a company can shoot a film in the city.

Tiernan Kelly, Director of Film City Studio in Glasgow talked about the programme for sustainability he is overseeing in the studios, which are base for 25 tenant organisations. There are recycling facilities and sustainability posters throughout the building and quarterly meetings on envinronmental sustainability which all tenants are required to attend. The Victorian building that the studios are based in has been well insulated and many other energy efficiency measures are taken, which not only help the environment but also save money which is then invested in the creative work of the studios.

Allison Gardner, from Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Film Festival talked about how much easier it is to green the Film Theatre building than it is to green the festival which takes place in several locations across the city, some of which have no commitment to the environment. She also talked about how difficult it can be to work with external people, whether that is the contractors working on a new cinema screen or actors. Most actors like to fly for example, though Lars von Trier only travels by campervan and ferry.

So that's the end of Edinburgh International Film festival for this year! You can read my reviews of the films i saw during the festival by following the links below:

Two Films Featuring Dogs - Greyhawk and The Nut Job. 

Garnet's Gold.

The Japanese Dog.

Beloved Sisters.

Virunga. (and you can read about the Q & A with the Virunga team here)

A Dangerous Game.

My Name is Salt.

Snowpiercer. 

The Owners.

Legacy, Mistory and Language - a review of N: The Madness of Reason; A House in Berlin and Is the Man Who is Tall Happy?

Ancient Temples, Vertigo and Film-making - a review of Manakamana and La ultima pelicula.

Disclaimer: I have a press pass for the Edinburgh International Film Festival amd attended free press screenings of these films. 

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