At “Melina Mercouri” Cultural Hall, in Loutra Edipsou, the Greek Film Centre organized a raising awareness action for environmentally sustainable filming. The speakers of the event were Stavroula Geronimaki (GFC, Hellenic Film Commission), Linnea Merzagora (Green Film) and Dimitra Tenta (Sustainability Coordinator). The speakers were presented by the head of the Agora, Angeliki Vergou.
Initially, Stavroula Geronimaki took the floor, and after thanking the Thessaloniki Film Festival for the invitation and the smooth cooperation, she presented Hellenic Film Commission’s actions, saying that in recent years she has started focusing towards environmentally sustainable filmmaking, with activities at the Berlinale and the 2023 Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Next, the floor was taken by Linnea Merzagora from Green Film, referring to the way in which one can calculate and obtain certification for environmentally sustainable productions. She also spoke about the devastating consequences of the major fire in Evia in 2021 and the enormous importance of the effort being made to limit the effects of the climate crisis. She added that attempts are being made with Green Film to transfer knowledge about sustainable practices in the film industry and noted that it is a tool that certifies and ultimately aids in networking partners around sustainable practices. She analyzed the ways with which the certifications in question take place and she concluded, remarking that sustainable practices have practical benefits, both in relation to the carbon dioxide emissions and the financial costs of producers.
At this point, the floor was given to Dimitra Tenta, Sustainability Coordinator. She stated that in Greece it has not yet become mandatory for productions to comply with green practices, while the most important thing is for producers themselves to believe in the benefits of sustainable filming. In her presentation, she mentioned how film production can become more sustainable (waste management, reduction of paper, recycling, removal of plastic packaging from the workplace, reduction of carbon footprint, etc.).
Finally, Stavroula Geronimaki posed a question to Angeliki Vergou and Elise Jalladeau, Thessaloniki Film Festival’s General Director, concerning the biggest difficulty in the Festival’s decision to follow “greener” practices. Angeliki Vergou responded that the biggest difficulties were related to knowledge and training in sustainable practices: "We created a green team with a sustainability consultant, educated ourselves about sustainability issues and understood that it is a process that takes time and steps." The Festival’s General Director, Elise Jalladeau pointed out that the two biggest obstacles were data collection and setting a course as well as objectives.
