BY THERESA CONN
Green Alliance Staff Writer
PORTSMOUTH -- On Thursday, Oct. 24, the Green Alliance and Film Unbound will present the first ever Green Shorts Film Festival. The event will feature short films that highlight the beauty of our planet, discuss issues affecting our world, and tell stories of the people that inhabit it.
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Sarah Brown, the director of the Green Alliance, was inspired to create Green Shorts after attending a Portsmouth Short Film Night, hosted by Film Unbound. Film Unbound is a media production company that produces fictional and documentary work as well as story-based promotional documentaries for their clients. It also specializes in event coverage and product demonstrations. Film Unbound has worked with businesses, educational institutions, individuals, and charitable organizations.
Whether Film Unbound productions are destined for the web, festivals, events, or cinematic release, the company’s founders, Catherine Stewart and Michael Rodriguez-Torrent, are at the heart of the process, working as producers, directors, journalists, cinematographers and everything else in between. Stewart and Rodriguez-Torrent started Film Unbound with the hope it would be part of a bigger movement.
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”In this world of big corporations with big voices, we wanted to figure out a way to level the playing field,” explained Stewart. “We decided to help the local guys. We create custom, high-quality, easily accessible films that allow local companies to tell their story. By using our skills as documentary filmmakers, the business owner gets to share what's unique about their company in a creative and concise way. No script, no sales pitch – just honest interviews with those who know and trust the business. We've found that this method encourages the heart of the business to shine though.”
Although Film Unbound has many connections within the Portsmouth arts community, both Film Unbound and the Green Alliance wanted to reach out to Seacoast environmentalists for the Green Shorts Film Festival. Luckily, the Green Alliance is very connected to the Seacoast environmental scene. The Green Alliance is a union of more than 100 local sustainable businesses promoting environmentally sound business practices. They also manage a co-op offering discounted green products and services to their members.
Brown looks forward to the partnership with Film Unbound, in merging the arts with environmental education.
“I think it’s important to connect the Seacoast environmental and art communities,” she said in an interview. “The Green Alliance is promoting sustainability by partnering with progressive businesses and encouraging local, eco-friendly purchasing habits. However, there are other ways to advocate for the environment. The arts inspire us ... and inspiration can motivate us to live our lives more consciously and sustainably.”
The Green Shorts Festival is part of a larger effort by the Green Alliance to connect with the arts community. The Green Alliance office is currently hosting an artist-in-residence, Jasmine Ingelsmith. Ingelsmith’s paintings and photography are on display throughout the office; Ingelsmith also submitted a film to Green Shorts.
More than 100 entries for Green Shorts have been submitted from all over the globe. Two hours worth of films will be showcased at the festival. Many of the films were created by local filmmakers. Several videos from the recent Social Business Challenge at the University of New Hampshire will be showcased, along with a short film about the Green Alliance. It is sure to be an inspiring night of short films about the world, the environment and humanity.
The Green Shorts Film Festival will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24. Doors will open at 7pm at 75 Congress Street, Suite 304, Portsmouth, N.H.. Green Alliance members enjoy free tickets to the festival which includes pizza and beer from the Portsmouth Brewery. Tickets are $10 at the door for non-members, however, a reduced price GA membership + ticket will be available on site for only $25 at the door!
GA members have free entry to the Green Shorts Film Fest but must RSVP to Tricia@greenalliance.biz.
Skip the line and become a GA member here!
