Documentary Production and Distribution News

Inspiring UNF-GACC documentary �BLACK INSIDE: Three Women�s Voices" Wins Grand Prix Award at the Deauville Green Awards 2013

By StudentFilmakers.com
posted Apr 29, 2013, 16:28

“BLACK INSIDE: Three Women’s Voices” was awarded the coveted Grand Prix for Best Corporate Film at the Deauville Green Awards. The international festival celebrates the best of corporate and television films with themes promoting preservation of the environment and sustainable development. Held 16-18 April, 2013, in Deauville, France, the juried competition attracted more than 200 entries from over 20 countries. Presenting the award was Solange Montillaud-Joyel, in charge of information within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Paris.

One of just five Grand Prix winners, “BLACK INSIDE: Three Women’s Voices” was commissioned by the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves. The Alliance is a public-private partnership launched in 2010 by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and led by the United Nations Foundation. The twelve-minute documentary lends an intimate perspective to an urgent global public health and environmental threat.

Nearly three billion people still cook over an open fire, yet this age-old method of cooking ranks as the planet’s fourth largest killer. Chronic exposure to toxic smoke from solid fuels, or household air pollution (HAP), affects entire families. The death toll is staggering: four million lives lost worldwide to HAP every year – double previous estimates, according to results of the Global Burden of Disease 2010 study, published 13 Dec., 2012, in The Lancet.

In “BLACK INSIDE: Three Women’s Voices,” director Rodney Rascona points to a simple, low-cost solution – substituting clean cookstoves for traditional cooking methods – that can save lives as well as conserve vital natural resources. The filmmakers journeyed to remote areas on three continents to document captivating vignettes of a trio of strong, resilient women. Despite geographical and cultural differences, Sarah, Vandana and Monica belong to a vast sisterhood whose uniquely personal stories mirror epic global issues: HAP as well as poverty, women’s and children’s health, deforestation, carbon emissions and sustainable change.

Each speaks eloquently on behalf of the millions more who would benefit from the life-saving, clean cooking devices. “The old stoves, they make this world black. They also make us black inside,” says Sarah, a Gabra tribeswoman in Kenya's northern deserts. With newfound hope for their families’ health and future, and more time and money to spend, the women become inspired change agents in their communities – starting businesses, investing in the lives of others, and giving more of themselves to their children.

Joining Rascona in the project were writer Russ Haan, director of photography Scott Shepard and gaffer Chuck Linkes. London-based producer Phil Tidy of Urchin Productions brought together a post-production team that included film editor Warren Meneely, Goldcrest Post London and Prime Focus London. In-country ground logistics were provided by The Paradigm Project, GIZ Peru, Food for the Hungry Kenya, and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). You can find a complete list of global partners, as well as a Director’s Statement, at the film’s website.

Resources:

http://www.deauvillegreenawards.com

http://www.blackinside-thefilm.com