The issue of sustainability in the creative industries is at the heart of European stakeholders agenda, members of the CineRegio network of regional funds dedicated to cinema and part of the ‘greenRegio’ subgroup involved in monitoring and experimenting sustainable cinema. The CineRegio general secretary Charlotte Applegreen introduced the main European experiences of sustainable film production, highlighting how sustainability and the enviromental impact of production is becoming increasingly common in the various film funds.
Birgit Heidsiek, chief editor of the magazine Green Film Shooting, created in collaboration with the Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, shared the long experience of the “Green Shooting Card” label created by the Hamburg Film Fund, a label that certifies films and TV series produced sustainably.
The experience of the Hamburg Film Fund is currently one of the largest in Europe and includes the Green Production Guide with the basic rules to be followed in order to produce in a sustainable manner. Recently in the training offered by the Fund exists the figure of the Eco- Manager for the beneficiaries of the fund.
Siebe Dumon from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund, outlined the e-mission coaching program, created in 2013, to tie the disbursement of the fund of their region to the topic of sustainable productions: “22 films and six TV series were produced in a sustainable manner. The project was acclaimed with great enthusiasm, generating a good buzz around this fundamental initiative. The rule seems hard but it is essential: the producers may have access to the latest installment of the fund, which represents 10% of the loan, when they demonstrate that they have followed the coaching activities and applied our green procedures.
France also makes big steps towards a ‘green awareness’: the representative of Ecoprod Joanna Gallardo spoke of the French network recently recognized by the CNC, with an investment of 6 million Euros for projects with clear sustainability-approach: “in 5 years we have provided two instruments, both available online for free, a ‘carbon calculator’ and documents on best practices. We also published the Ecoprod label, and created the Audiovisual Company Charter, a sort of Ecoprod label, specifically designed for the studios or technical suppliers, who can test themselves online to measure the level of their green approach”.
In Europe there are many other ‘green’ experiences taking place, but only in the last year has work been carried out with the Film Commission network for the creation of a European Green Protocol for all member states that by protecting the specific regional development spreads out a general awareness on the topic.
