by Brendan Sample

Now in their third year of running the Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival, Debra Wolf Goldstein and Alexandra Drobac Diagne are looking to continue showcasing inspiring movies in new and exciting ways. In addition to featuring filmmakers from around the world, this year’s festival will have several programs that are being implemented for the first time.

Arguably the most significant addition to the festival is a new virtual reality experience called “My Africa.” The 10-minute feature uses immersive headsets to create an interactive, three-dimensional environment of a wildlife reserve in northern Kenya. It will be available in the main lobby of the Philadelphia Film Center (aka The Prince Theater), 1412 Chestnut St., which is where the entire festival will be held, throughout the entire weekend of April 5-7.

“We’re always going to other festivals to scout the best films and get more ideas,” said Goldstein, a West Mt. Airy resident. “Alexandra had gone to DOC NYC, a documentary film festival in New York, and had a VR experience there, so she insisted that we do something like that here.”

Additionally, the Kid’s Planet Program is also new and will provide an interactive environmental program for 240 middle school students in the Philadelphia area. They will get to see youth-oriented movies, participate in hands-on activities, and about 80 of them will participate in filmmaking workshops on how to start making their own environmental films.

Overall, the festival will feature 54 films, 10 features that are all Pennsylvania premieres and 44 shorts. There were over 320 submissions from 47 countries around the world, with 16 of those nations making the final cut. There will also be seven juried awards given out throughout the weekend: Best Feature Film, Best Short Film, the Environmental Advocacy Award, Best Wildlife Film, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Place Student Film Awards and Audience Favorite Award. The Environmental Advocacy Award will be preceded by a screening of “The Human Element” on opening night. It will be presented by the president of the U.S. chapter of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Chestnut Hill resident John B. Kelly.

In addition to the typical challenges any nonprofit typically faces, especially fundraising, Goldstein and Diagne have also run into other issues that are unique to filmmaking. One such problem is ensuring that all the movies they show are in Digital Cinema Package format.

“Films are made on a variety of technical formats, and many of them have to be converted to different formats to be shown on our screens,” Goldstein explained. “We need our submissions to be converted to DCP format, which can be an extensive challenge because some submitters ultimately don’t have access to that tech.”

Though every year presents new obstacles, Goldstein and Diagne have more than enough experience both in their respective fields and as friends to overcome them. Goldstein has been a land conservation lawyer for over 20 years, Diagne is a former Hollywood executive and the two have known each other for nearly a decade. Together, they were able to combine their skills and experiences to create Philadelphia’s first environmental film festival, something that they felt was sorely needed.

“It became more and more apparent to me that visual images like films are a great way to reach people’s hearts,” Goldstein said. “I went to film festivals in places like D.C. and felt that someone should be doing something like that in Philly.”

Amidst all the new activities and a greater number of movies than previous years, Goldstein and Diagne want to ensure that the original mission of the festival remains intact.

“Environmental issues aren’t going away; they’re getting more urgent and pressing,” Goldstein said. “I’d just like to continue bringing in as many inspiring, high-quality and new films as possible, while providing a platform for filmmakers to show their films in this region.”

For more information on the 2019 Philadelphia Environmental Film Festival and to purchase tickets, you can visit philaenvirofilmfest.org, call 215-247-3105 or email info@philaenvirofilmfest.org. Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@ chestnuthilllocal.com or 215-248-8819.