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The Outlook for Someday

Published: Sun 11 Nov 2007 12:40 AM
The Outlook for Someday
A Sustainability Film Challenge for Young New Zealanders
Young Filmmakers Air Some Original Views On A Sustainable Future
Insightful, opinionated, original and thoughtful young film-makers entered films for the inaugural The Outlook for Someday sustainability film challenge for young New Zealanders.
On Friday 9 November the Prime Minister Helen Clark presents awards to the individuals and teams who have made the winning films in an Awards ceremony at TVNZ in Auckland.
The 20 winning films came from throughout New Zealand from film-makers aged 9 to 20. Their stories are told in a wide range of genres including dramas, documentaries and animations.
One of the films is a music video with a rap song telling us “we all got our parts to play.” Another is an advertisement from the 22nd Century offering a chance for people to go back in time and “make a difference in the world then and now.”
The films tackle both global issues and local challenges - from climate change to the visual pollution caused by advertising, from pollution in the Piako River to waste in Eastern Greenland,
On the project website at www.theoutlookforsomeday.net New Zealanders up to 20 years of age were encouraged to “make a short film about how you see the future unfolding. Look at your world through a lens of sustainability. Give your personal take on what matters to you, focused on the future.” Their films could be any genre at all and any length up to 5 minutes.
The project website is now a web channel for people to view the winning films and to vote for the Best Winning Film.
The Outlook for Someday is a partnership between Connected Media, The Enviroschools Foundation and the Global Education Centre. The project involves both TVNZ and Māori Television.
“Young people have a right to participate in our national conversation on sustainability. It affects their future and their lives now. So we asked them to tell us their outlook for the future through film,” said David Jacobs, Director of Connected Media, a charitable trust which promotes sustainability through media.
“Young New Zealanders have responded to the challenge with passion, vision, humour, intelligence and creativity.”
The 20 winning films have been selected by judges who work in television, education and youth development.
The winning films will be broadcast from 10 November on TVNZ 6, the first of TVNZ's new digital channels on Freeview. They can also be viewed from 11 November at TVNZ ondemand.
“The Outlook for Someday is a fantastic initiative, using the power of broadcasting to address critical sustainability issues. It gives young people the chance to tell their stories about how they see New Zealand’s future, and their vision for change,” said Eric Kearley, TVNZ’s General Manager of Digital Services.
“TVNZ’s commitment to broadcast the winning films on TVNZ Family on TVNZ 6 is a great example of our digital strategy in action. As New Zealand’s public service broadcaster, it’s our responsibility to engage New Zealanders in sustainability issues and their impact on our future, and to encourage the next generation of New Zealand’s film-makers.”
Connected Media is making a primetime documentary about The Outlook for Someday for Māori Television, featuring some of the winning films and film-makers.
“There is a tremendous sense of optimism amongst our youth that sustainability – integrated, comprehensive solutions to urgent global challenges – is now firmly on the agenda. The opportunity to make real and lasting progress has never been greater,” said Larry Parr, Māori Television’s General Manager of Programming.
“The Outlook for Someday has provided a unique opportunity for our young people to have their voices heard on this critical issue of sustainability and we must remember that our youth are our kaitiakitanga of the future.”
The Outlook for Someday was developed by Connected Media with support from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment as one of its 20th Anniversary projects.
The project funding partners are the Ministry for the Environment, Ministry of Youth Development, Ministry of Education, Save The Children New Zealand and New Zealand On Air.
"The quality of the winning films shows that young people are not only talented and imaginative film-makers but they are also fully aware of the importance of Sustainability and what it means for the future of New Zealand - what it means for their future,” said Martyn Pinckard of the Ministry for the Environment.
“The Ministry for the Environment is supporting this competition as part
of a range of initiatives encouraging all of us to think and act to bring
about a truly Sustainable New Zealand. "
The project sponsors are The Body Shop New Zealand, The Laptop Company and the Sustainable Business Network
Prizes include:
• a laptop computer and The Body Shop vouchers for the makers of each Winning Film
• a video camera for the makers the Best Film Containing Te Reo and Tikanga Māori
• a 5-day ‘Introduction to Television Production’ course at South Seas Film & Television School for the film-maker or up to 4 members of the film-making team whose film is voted to be the Best Winning Film
ends

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