The Award Ceremony of the 5th edition of Bgreen // ecological film festival promoted by OFICINA – INA’s Professional School took place under the motto: Be the Hero!
The event was held at Parque da Devesa in Vila Nova de Famalicão and the grand winners of the evening were the students from Charlottenllund, Norway with the video spot entitled ‘Bottle on an Adventure’. For the winning team, the bgreen grand prize was the culmination of this year’s hard work on environmental issues. For Tore Vollan Marthinsen, student at Charlottenllund, being awarded the grand prize was a complete surprise. ‘When we were thinking about competing, our goal, first of all, wasn’t winning a prize but conveying a message that would instill more environmental awareness’. The fortunate winners were awarded the eco-adventure trip to the Azores.
With over a hundred videos competing, the ceremony featured the largest international presence ever with students and teachers from Spain, Sweden and Norway. In addition to the foreign entourage, there were several national schools from Lisbon, Viseu, Braga, Vila Nova de Famalicão, among others, present at the event.
Leonel Rocha, councilman for education in the municipality of Famalicão, believes bgreen is an initiative to be followed within the Portuguese educational context. ‘Bgreen represents the school’s capability of not only training professionals in the audiovisual area but also educating for environmental awareness’.
Miguel Sá Carneiro, the school’s headmaster, stressed ‘the importance of bgreen as an instrument of mobilization and active participation of schools and young Europeans in serious and complex matters such as ecological issues. The dynamics, the joy and commitment of youths in environmental protection was quite well demonstrated in this festival, as well as in other activities undertaken under the eco-school banner. Audiovisual media are a privileged communication tool and bgreen confirms, once again, the urgency and importance of giving young people the leading role they deserve in the use of such mechanisms for the protection of the environment. It is paramount to note that such aims are in line with the values promoted by the Society of Jesus’.
Besides the creation of the video spots, bgreen was able to involve more than 100 students in awareness actions for good environmental practices throughout this year. According to Sofia Mendes, bgreen coordinator, ‘young people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of taking care of our planet. It is with great satisfaction that we are able to see more than one hundred students from OFICINA participating in bgreen’s social project. It is important to underline that besides environmental ambitions, breen’s social dimension aims to promote solidarity, commitment and service to others’.
Carried out in close partnership with Quercus, Direção Geral dos Estabelecimentos Escolares, the Regional Government of the Azores, the Portuguese Environment Agency, the municipalities of Vila Nova de Famalicão and Santo Tirso and Novo Banco, the evening had the presence of the Misfits, a group of young dancers, semifinalists in the Got Talent contest. The award ceremony was attended by over one thousand spectators at Parque da Devesa and many more via its live worldwide broadcast.
Meanwhile, you can get to know all the award winners and remember the best moments of the event in the photo gallery.
Bgreen is grateful to all who followed us throughout this 5th edition as our success is also due to you and eagerly awaits your dedication and presence in the 6th edition.
Thank you all and see you in 2016 in the next edition of the bgreen // ecological film festival.