Garbage or Resource?
A Dominican Republic Experience
The Dominican Republic has more than 340 open-air landfills without any type of management or control, which have become highly-concentrated areas of air and water pollution. They are an unseen danger for every Dominican. Fortunately, the country is witnessing cultural changes which are creating initiatives that convert this "problem" into an opportunity for development. The message is clear: trash is no longer just trash, rather it has value. As long as trash can be utilized, it is not trash.The appropriate term is "discarded material," a resource which is raw material and then turned into a new product. Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience, a film produced by GFDD/FUNGLODE, depicts how recycling has become an important economic opportunity for Dominicans. Through various corporate and educational projects, the viewer observes how-- aside from the obvious environmental benefits-- recycling enables economic development through the generation of new companies and industries. A short film which inspires, moves and calls to action.
Original Title:
¿Basura o Recurso? Experiencia de la República Dominicana
Director:
Natasha Despotovic
Country of Origin:
Dominican Republic
Year of completion: 2013
Duration: 17 minutes
Format: DVD
Language: Spanish
Subtitle: English
- Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF) - Dominican Republic
- Festival Internacional de Cinema del Medi Ambient (FICMA) – Barcelona
- Princeton Environmental Film Festival - Princeton, NJ
- Green Lens Environmental Film Festival - Northern Illinois University
- Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital - Washington, DC
- Environmental Film Festival at Yale (EFFY)
- Latino Film Festival - Northern Illinois University
- Reef Renaissance Film Festival - Virgin Islands
- III Dominican Film Festival in New York
- Dominican Republic Environmental Film Festival (DREFF)
- Blue Ocean Film Festival - St. Petersburg, Florida
- EcoFilm Festival – Mexico
- ENFOQUE International Film Festival - Puerto Rico
- Miami Short Film Festival
Contact Information:
info@dreff.org
“Garbage or Resource? A Dominican Republic Experience” is an illuminating film that captures the challenges and complexity of managing the nation’s open-air landfills and highlights efforts to achieve practical and cultural change. While its story focuses on the creative and innovative approaches by individuals we meet in the film working in the Dominican Republic to turn trash into economic opportunities, it has a global appeal resonance that inspires viewers anywhere seeking sustainable waste cycle solutions. Share this film to prompt discussion and motivate action -- ideal for business conferences, college and community screenings, and eco-focused film festivals.
Susan Conlon, Director of the Princeton Environmental Film Festival
Credits:
Executive Producer: Natasha Despotovic
Director: Natasha Despotovic
Original Idea: Natasha Despotovic
Writers: Alexandra Tabar, Emy Rodríguez
Cinematography: Angel Castellanos
Camera: Angel Castellanos, Jesús Frías
Producer: Alexandra Tabar
Assistant Producer: Reydi Moreta
Post Production / Editor: Angel Castellanos
Biography of Director:
Natasha Despotovic is the Executive Director of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development with offices in Washington D.C. and New York. She is a graduate of philosophy, literature, Spanish, French and English. Natasha has had an extensive and diverse international career in which she has held-high level positions in the private, public, non-governmental and multilateral sectors in Europe, the Dominican Republic and the United States. Ms. Despotovic is the Director of the Dominican Environmental Film Festival.
