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Sustainable Production Forum

The Sustainable Production Forum is an annual event that brings together members of the motion picture industry to explore sustainable production practices, discuss the challenges and collaborate on innovative solutions.

Given the ever-changing nature of the sustainable production movement, the Forum offers bold, dynamic programming to address the most relevant issues, debate the most provocative topics and ultimately help advance sustainability in the motion picture and television industries.

2021 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

SPF21 took place Monday, October 25 — Friday, October 29, 2021. Expanding from 2 days in previous years to 3 days of programming, 2 additional days of networking & the Green Marketplace, the event consisted of inspiring keynotes, lively moderated discussions, skill-building workshops, networking, and global intelligence sharing. A wide range of topics were examined, including leadership, circularity, fuel optimization, humanity in filmmaking, the business case for sustainability, and climate action inside the narrative.

See the full recap here! 

2020 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

The 2020 Sustainable Production Forum went digital in 2020. SPF hosted four virtual panels with incredible speakers from around the world. If you’ve missed it, we’ve included the recordings, calls to action, and resources below. Participants who joined the live event were able to ask questions to panelists, be entered to win a Patagonia giveaway and received and exclusive screening of the film 2040.

Read the full recap and watch videos from SPF 2020 here!

2019 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

The 2019 Sustainable Production Forum (SPF) hosted its fourth annual event November 1st and 2nd at Emily Carr University and the Centre for Digital Media. Over 200 registrants were in attendance for two full days of programming on sustainable production within the motion picture industry. 2019 represented the first year that SPF undertook its own unique branding from its founding collaborator, the Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF). VIFF and SPF remain strong partners in executing this event and promoting awareness of sustainable production within the industry.

This year’s main sessions included panels and industry-specific keynotes from Canada and the United States. Each day, attendees had two opportunities to take part in the newly introduced workshop sessions. These sessions were held in the main Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University (ECU) and the Centre for Digital Media (the CDM). Workshops were added as a new program element for the 2019 event based on participant feedback in previous SPF years.

Click here to see the line up of 2019 workshops.

 

2018 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

Reel Green was in attendance at the 2018 Sustainable Production Forum hosted at the Vancouver International Film Festival! This year the Forum extended to include 2 full days of talks, panels, and awards on sustainability in the motion picture industry.

Reel Green was recognized for its work by Julie Bernard, Manager Production Services, Provincial Film Commission at Creative BC and was a discussion point amongst industry stakeholders throughout the Forum. Another big moment for the Reel Green program was the debut of the “Be Reel Green” video by Jennifer Sandoval of Green Spark Group and Vancouver Filmmaker Kryshan Randel. This video acts as an accessible resource that all productions in British Columbia can watch to kick-start a sustainable mindset and culture shift on set.

Stay tuned for more on the Be Reel Green campaign in the months to come and follow us on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram at @creativebcs and use the #ReelGreen. 

The Sustainable Production Forum included thoughtful discussions on sustainable physical production, advertising, location stewardship, Sustainable Development Goals and entertainment, the Hollywood Effect and transforming culture, systems thinking, and disruptive technologies that change the way we work. Panelists featured experts from 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros. Entertainment, NBCUniversal, the Global Compact Network, Omnifilm, the Motion Picture Association Canada, IATSE 891MPPIABritish Academy of Film and Television Arts, and more!

Cristina Mittermeier, National Geographic photographer adventurer of the year opened the Forum by sharing stunning images of her journey as a photographer and how climate change is disrupting human culture and our natural world.  She inspired with the message of hope and encourage us to all act now to reduce our negative impact on the natural world. Life, all life, depends on it.

The 2018 Forum also included for the first time the induction of the Sustainable Production Excellence Awards. These awards recognize productions and individuals that demonstrate leadership, excellent performance, and commitment to the integration of sustainable production practices. They serve to celebrate and inspire those who work in motion picture and to challenge the industry to strive for excellence in sustainable production. 

T o punctuate the two-day forum, Jade Tailor, actress, The Magicians,  joined Clara George, producer, and Steven Vitolo, CEO of Scriptation to launch the #PledgePaperless campaign to urge the industry to wean itself from paper and go digital.

The atmosphere of the forum was one of excitement and change. Despite challenges raised, stakeholders from all areas of the industry are committed to rolling up their sleeves to see a sustainable future for motion picture.

2017 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

The 2017 Sustainable Production Forum, focused on Action Now. Panels of experts discussed the ever-changing nature of sustainability in physical production from the studio and city perspective, international collaborations, innovations and education for the next generation filmmakers.

Read the “Recap of the Sustainable Production Forum at VIFF 2017“.

Keynote Address: Lydia Dean Pilcher, CEO/Producer, Cine Mosaic,Inc. & Co-Founder PGA Green. Inspiration for the movement that’s revolutionizing the motion picture and television industries.

Session 1: Collaboration and Collective Action
An overview of the sustainable production efforts that have resulted from collaboration and collective, multi-stakeholder action, including an update on the local Reel Green program.

Session 2: Policy Advances for Sustainable Production
Guests learned from stakeholders from industry organizations around the world who are involved in policy advancement at the municipal and regional levels who can enable sustainable production practices.

Session 3: Next Generation
This session brought together university administrators and faculty and industry organizations to share their approach to sustainable production in higher education.

Session 4: Studio Roundtable
Representatives from major studios discussed the latest and greatest in sustainable production, as well as the tools and systems that enable a lighter footprint on set.

Session 5: Power Hour
Industry professionals and city strategists discussed innovative technology and practical applications that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2016 Sustainable Production Forum Recap

The Sustainable Production Forum was the first-of-its-kind in North America at a major film festival. Sustainable production is the future of filmmaking and the Vancouver International Film Festival was a wonderful platform to showcase this.

Speakers included Mayor Gregor Robertson, X-Files director Chris Carter, the sustainability executives from major studios in Los Angeles, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Creative BC, the World Bank’s Connect4Climate, sustainability practitioners in New York (Earth Angel) and BC (Keep it Green Recycling and Green Spark Group) and the Vancouver Economic Commission and the green economy. 

Keynote: The Sustainable Production Future
Introduction: Mayor Gregor Robertson
Keynote Speaker: Chris Carter, award-winning writer, producer, director, creator of The X-Files. Watch The X-Files Green Production video clip.

Session 1: Sustainability at the Studios
Meet the players from the major studios in Hollywood and hear their perspective on sustainable production and why it matters.

Session 2: The Big Picture – Global Leadership on Sustainable Production
Creative centers around the world are incorporating sustainable production strategies into their programs and projects, and focusing on educating and connecting stakeholders to leverage collective action.

Session 3: Sustainable Production 101 Training
How to set up recycling systems on set, tips on green material sourcing, and implementing strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Session 4: Walking the Talk – Sustainable Production in Action
Celebrating its 10th year Creative BC’s Reel Green Initiative is growing stronger. Learn from New York and Vancouver practitioners on how to integrate sustainable production strategies on any show.

Session 5: Myth Busting Common Misconceptions
Hear about what is and isn’t possible in the quest for more sustainable production. Think you can’t eat healthy on set? Think nobody wants your used construction materials? Think again!