Always keen in supporting independent green efforts, ECOCLUB.com has become an Official Sponsor of the 1st Madeira Film Festival, which will take place on May 2-6, 2012 in the atlantic archipelago.
The Madeira Film Festival intends to be Europe's most exclusive and independent festival, showcasing independent feature, short and documentary films from around the world. The festival will present a special environmental category screening worldwide nature orientated films.
As organiser Aitken Pearson explains "the genesis of the Madeira Film Festival sprouted simply because we wanted to showcase nature related films and to be frank we don't think there is a more suitable location in the entire world". Madeira is a Portuguese term for wood, as when navigators discovered the archipelago in 1418 it was completely covered in trees. With the advent of colonization forests were burned resulting in old growth diminishing reducing the trees to a fraction of how it once was. However today there are still pockets of 'Laurissilva' forests to be found which have been designated as a Unesco World Heritage Site. The Laurissilva is indeed a unique tree, some say its metaphysical properties include the healing of the human soul when in close proximity.
The aim of the Madeira Film Festival is to help preseve and conserve this ancient relic that is the Laurissilva forest through the medium of the moving image. The'Laurissilva' award will be presented to the best short, feature, doc and nature related film at the closing ceremony as determined by a panel of International judges.
Initially famous for its sugar cane and wines the archipelago, 300 miles off the coast of Africa, became in the 19th century a tourism destination for Europe's aristocracy attracted by its mild, sub-tropical climate. Over the last twenty years Madeira has witnessed a notable influx in tourism which although contibutes immensly to the local economy does have a detrimental effect on the environment i.e. when a new hotel is built, land is exploited so as to provide for the visitor. The festival will predominately be held at Reid's Palace which was the first hotel established on Madeira catering to distinguished guests and indeed it is considered one of the finest in the world. By virtue of the festivals location we set ourselves apart from other mainstream festivals, this is a niche festival in the respect that it will focus on films pertinent to the environment and maintaining the reverence of trees on the island.
According to the organisers a key objectives of the Madeira Film Festival is to create awareness of the Laurissilva forest ensuring that it would remain untouched by human hands or what some developers call 'progress'. Aitken Pearson believes that "an independent film festival can help to create that awareness and consequently prevent the demise of the forest through progress".
To find out more about the festival please visit www.madeirafilmfestival.com