Reasons to see SM’s Green Film Festival

These days, being reminded to care for the environment is as customary as putting hashtags in your posts on Instagram. We’ve been aware of it since our teachers first asked us to recycle or the supermarkets started ditching the plastic for paper. This doesn’t mean though that one can’t appreciate the creative reminders toward a greener lifestyle to ease the burden we put on Mother Nature. 

As part of its initiatives to support communities, SM Cares, in partnership with the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), launched the Green Film Festival last July 7 at SM Megamall Cinema 2. The festival features special screenings of environment-themed movies and documentaries in its 49 cinemas in all SM Supermalls and 6 WalterMart cinemas all over the country. If you need more reason to troop to the moviehouse, here are five on why you must see these eco-focused movies at the Green Film Festival.

1. It’s FREE!

The Green Film Festival, which aims to put on the spotlight the current state of our environment through some gripping visual-fest, is open to everyone. And no need to fork out any money.

The free screenings started last June and the next one will be on August 18 (mark your calendars!). It is held every 3rd Tuesday of the month, from 9:00 am to 10:30 am (except on December 2015 and March 2016, which will have a special screening on the first Tuesday of the month).

2. You get to watch award-winning films.

Among the films to be screened is the GMA-7 News and Public Affairs Special, “Pagbangon,” which won the Silver Screen Award in the Current Affairs Category at the 2015 US International

Film & Video Festival. Hosted by Jessica Soho, Jiggy Manicad, and Micaela Papa, the documentary follows some of the survivors of Typhoon Yolanda in Leyte and Samar as they rebuild their lives after the devastation caused by the super typhoon. Prepare to be moved.

3. Arm yourself with knowledge versus future disasters.

Another GMA 7-produced docu to be screened is “Ground Zero.” It focuses on the Philippines’ perilous location in the Pacific Ring of Fire and identifies which cities and provinces are most vulnerable to natural disasters — a must-see piece particularly with climate change exacerbating the effects of calamities.

4. Be among the more-than-a-million-strong young audience.

Primarily launched for the youth, the festival aims to reach an audience of a million grade school and high school students. To start things off, students from Mandaluyong High School, Highway Hills High School, and Mataas na Paaralang Neptali Gonzales attended the screening at the July 7 launch. Special screenings will also be held to reach out to the 1.9 million out-of-school youth in the country. “Through this festival, we want students to see the beauty of our planet, teach them the value of conserving our shared resources, and plan and practice environmental efforts towards a sustainable future for our children’s children,” explains Liza Silerio, program director of SM Cares Committee on Environment and Sustainability.

5. Learn beyond the classroom.

For students, getting lessons outside the walls of a classroom is a refreshing change. Environmental advocacy and conservation are taught not through a lecture but by means of films that promote positive action. All toward preserving our natural surroundings and foster engagement on environmental issues. Aside from full-length films, a 5-minute video from the

Climate Change Commission is a helpful reminder on how to lead a climate-smart lifestyle with its “Top 15 Ways to LEDS (Low Emission Development Strategies)”— from something as simple as using less paper to practical ways on how to save on water.

Take your friends or the whole class with you to catch the next Green Film Festival screenings on August 18 at these SM Supermalls:

      Participating Waltermart branches:

If you want your group or school to schedule a block screening, you can contact SM Cares or SM Cinema at 655-1788 (look for Ms. Belle Bartolome) or 862-7051 (look for Mr. Vincent Mondiguing).

Remaining screening dates are August 18, September 15, and October 20. Follow @SMSupermalls on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for updates on #GreenFilmFestivalatSM.

The Green Film Festival is a project of the SM Cares Program on Environment and Sustainability, in partnership with SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc., GMA-7, MTRCB, Climate Change Commission, Department of Education, Waltermart, national Youth Commission, Outpost and USAID. SM Cares is a division of SM Foundation, Inc. and is the CSR arm of SM Prime Holdings, Inc.