ABOUT TEC'S FILM WASTE NOT
Last Updated on Thursday, 08 December 2011 14:06 Thursday, 14 April 2011 12:43
TEC's award winning documentary film Waste Not, has had a dream run in 2011. TEC was awarded a City of Sydney Environment Grant to make a film about recycling and waste in February 2010. The application for the grant was written by TEC’s Communication Director, Ruth Hessey, who initially developed the project in consultation with TEC’s executive director Jeff Angel, and with City of Sydney waste unit staff.
TEC engaged an experienced production manager for the project, Sophie Alstergren, who went on to produce the film which was executive produced by Jeff Angel, with Associate Producer Jane Castle (TEC’s senior campaigner). Ruth and Sophie liaised with Helen Bradley at City of Sydney to ensure the concept for Waste Not developed according to CoS guidelines. The film was shot on location in Sydney at Global Renewables, two VISY depots, Simms, the South Sydney Waste Depot in Zetland, and the CSIRO.
It was agreed at TEC that the film needed to avoid the common pitfalls of documentary films of this genre, chiefly being dull and boring. To this end high production values, and feature film creatives were employed, including the talented composer Peter Fenton. Bonnie Elliott shot the film, which was edited by Aden Young (with additional editing by Lindi Harrison). Subsequent to the completion of the documentary, City of Sydney commissioned several ‘webisodes” amplifying key themes in Waste Not, which were delivered in March 2011.
The response to Waste Not has been phenomenal. The sheer beauty of the film, along with its emotional punch has caught the recycling and waste communities by surprise and has elicited a strong response from people outside the industry. TEC is now pushing Waste Not out into the community on several levels: councils, corporate staff engagement, and the education sector. Qantas has also acquired the film for its domestic and international inflight entertainment program.
Waste Not premiered on January 8th 2011 at Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, Bondi Beach, Greenflicks program and won a Highly Commended Award. Since then Waste Not has won Best Documentary Film at St Kilda Film Festival, and has been officially selected by prestigious film festivals around the world, including the Festival de Cannes Short Film Corner in France, The Rodos Eco-film Festival in Greece, The Barcelona International Environment Film Festival in Spain, as well as The Dungog, Byron Bay, St Kilda, Footprint and Melbourne Environment Film Festivals in Australia; the World Bank Environmental Film Festival Argentina; the Costa Rica Environment Film Festival; Ile de France Environmental Film Festival, Paris; La Femme Film Festival, Los Angeles; Trailer Film Festival LA, and the touring Scinema (CSIRO) Film Festival.
The first the Waste Not Community Screenings began in Melbourne, hosted by Nick Harford from Equilibrium. The screening generated dozens of inquiries. Since then local councils all over Australia have licensed the film for their Sustainability Educators and community screenings. The prominent Australian Bank NAB, has acquired Waste Not for internal staff engagement. Several other big corporations have also bought for a License to Show.
Notable Australian distributor Ronin Films is distributing Waste Not to the education sector in the Asia South pacific region. Waste Not also received substantial funding via the Documentary Australia Foundation from the Pratt and Myer Foundations to develop an interactive educational website which will be ready for Back To School 2012.
City of Sydney Mayor Clover Moore officially launched Waste Not at Parliament House on April 7th, 2011. Refreshments for the evening, in the form of individual boxes of edible flowers, herbs and carob, were generously provided by Tetsuya’s head chef Luke Powell, one of the heroes of Waste Not. In keeping with the theme of sustainability TEC served tea made with sprigs of Lemon Scented tea Tree, Rosemary, tied with Lemon Grass leaves, which were made by TEC staff. A bouquet of lemon grass and other Australian natives, some of it supplied by Michael Mobbs from his Chippendale street gardens, was presented to the Lord Mayor, and the new state Environment Minister, Robyn Parker, who changed her schedule to attend the launch. Several members of cast and crew attended, including the composer Peter Fenton, editor Aden Young, and stars of the film Bianca Nogrady, ben Kusto, and Bisso Rebigo. Artists such as Jenny Kee, Louise Fowler-Smith, Anne Zahalka and Janet Laurence, also attended.
An ABC news crew covered the launch and the ABC’s key environment reporter Sarah Clarke filed a news piece that ran on ABC News, ABC midday, and 24 News.
“Waste Not is not a romance or a thriller, but this film has a powerful message!” Sarah Clarke, ABC TV Environment Reporter.
“Waste Not is the first environment film I’ve seen which hasn’t made me want to run from the cinema screaming, “We are all going to die!” Carla Khoo, Manager, Environmental Engagement & Communications, NAB.
Jeff Angel, Executive Director of Total Environment Centre is the film’s Executive Producer. His intimate knowledge of current local, state, and federal legislation, not to mention his role in creating a National Waste Policy, underpinned the film’s research and expertise at every phase.
In December 2011 Waste Not’s writer/director Ruth Hessey was named one of one of the(Sydney)magazine’s Top 100 most influential, creative and inspiring people of 2011, as a result of the impact of Waste Not.
