Founded in celebration of Earth Week 2008, the ECOScene Film & Arts Festival is a collaboration between the local arts and environmental communities that raises awareness of critical environmental issues through the arts. ECOScene is the only festival of its kind in Canada that is dedicated to supporting the local creative community with the net proceeds from each year. Accordingly, the ECO Artist Program was established through the festival’s charitable partner, Arts Hamilton, to assist local filmmakers and artists in creating environmentally-inspired works that will be featured at upcoming festivals.
In addition to screening the most acclaimed Canadian and international environmental films, an important part of the festival’s mandate is to showcase the works of local filmmakers, photographers and artists to increase awareness and affect social change.
An important component of the festival is the opportunity for open discussion, either with filmmakers or with local experts on environmental issues. Thought-provoking films that raise awareness of interconnected ecological, social, and economic themes provoke dialogue and stimulate effective action. Audiences will leave feeling that they can be a part of the solution to environmental problems.
ECOScene provides an experience that goes beyond passive film viewing: through the power of the arts to inspire, educate and motivate, audiences will be encouraged to be the change they wish to see in the world. The festival aims to promote environmental filmmaking in the Hamilton area by developing a program that nurtures local and student filmmakers, allowing them to be a catalyst for social change through the power of film.
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ECOScene aims to model sustainability by reducing waste and providing recycling at all festival events ( “zero waste”); using reclaimed materials for art submissions; encouraging the use of public transit, carpooling and bicycling; and supporting local, organic, and Fair Trade producers.