The Burning Season

The Burning Season Continues to Screen Internationally

Monday 2nd December 09 

In early December, the Paris office of Clifford Chance, one of the world's leading law firms, hosted an exclusive corporate screening of the award winning documentary The Burning Season.  The screening was attended by a large variety of corporate and finance clients and was followed by an information session and presentation by Peter Zaman, head of the Environmental and Climatic Trading Group in London. The focus of the event was the way The Burning Season examines sustainable market-based solutions to protect the environment.

"My impression was that those who attended not only enjoyed the film but really valued the opportunity to get behind the scenes with Peter's presentation and find out more about exactly how the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) scheme works and where we go to from here," says Debra Counsell, who, along with Peter, Tony Giustini and Jennifer Mackinlay, organised the event.

 

The Burning Season has also been selected to be part of the 2010 US Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital. The 18th annual festival will be held in Washington between March 18- 26th 2010. 

 

More info on the festival here: www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org

 

People march across the globe to urge tough action in Copenhagen on climate change.

12th December 09 

We have reached the halfway mark of the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference, and it seems it is all noise and very little action.

Australia's climate change ambassador Louise Hand said "We are currently not on a path to deliver the environmental outcome we need."  Climate Change Minister Penny Wong reiterated on Saturday that the draft "isn't good enough" and called on politicians to step in and save the talks.

The big problems in the talks seem to be the targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, how to verify that countries make good on their climate promises, and how to finance poorer countries to tackle global warming.

Developed nations need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by between 25% and 45% of 1990 levels by 2020 if we are to stop dangerous and irriversable climate change, but the negotiators seem to be playing politcial football with our future. 

The exact targets for limiting temperature rise are being hotly disputed between various blocs. Small island states want temperature rises held to less than 1.5 degrees celsius, but the measures being proposed by developed nations won't achieve anywhere near this goal. 

Saturday became a day of mass protests across the globe to urge politicians and world leader to take the tough decisions they need to get a decent outcome in the coming week.  Around 50,000 people are reported to have taken to the streets across Australia. 

I got on my bike and joined several thousand people in Brisbane who carried placards and marched, sang and chanted in steamy conditions through Southbank and across the new footbridge ending with a concert in King George Square. 

Cathy Henkel

Writer/Director/Producer, The Burning Season 

 

 

Dorjee's project makes TIME front cover

Monday 30th November 09 

Dorjee's Aceh project featured in The Burning Season was recently on the cover of the November 30th 09 edition of TIME magazine.

The article applauded Dorjee's work and was viewed as an example of how the highly debated REDD scheme can work. 

Check out the article here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1940544,00.html

 

Forest rangers astride their elephants patrol the Ulu Masen conservation zone in Indonesia's Aceh province

Photographs for TIME by Kemal Jufri / Imaji

The Burning Season Nominated for Two International Awards

Thursday 5th November 09 

The Burning Season was recently nominated for an EMMY award in the category of Outstanding Documentary on a Business Topic. “In these times of almost unprecedented financial uncertainty, good business reporting is more important than ever,” said Bill Small, Chairman of the News & Documentary Emmy Awards. “This year’s nominees are the best of an excellent selection of submissions, and show how hard broadcast journalists have worked to keep viewers informed about the economic events that affect their lives.”

The Burning Season was also nominated for a highly prestigious Gold Panda award at the Sichuan TV Festival held in China in November.  The film was nominated in the category of Best Nature and Environment Documentary.  

 

Cathy Henkel wins SPAA Independent Documentary Producer of the Year!!!

SPAA Independent Producer Awards

Cathy Henkel wins the SPAA Independent Documentary Producer of the Year!!

Brisbane based Producer/Director Cathy Henkel has just been awarded the 2009 SPAA Independent Documentary Producer of the Year!!  The awards were held today at the Screen Producer's Association of Australia conference in Sydney. 

Cathy has received this award for her efforts on the feature documentary The Burning Season.  

This award is given to SPAA members who produced an outstanding project or body of work, which has contributed to the advancement of the independent production industry.

Cathy has contributed greatly to the world of documentary over the last twenty years but it was her work on The Burning Season and her innovative ten point distribution plan that has resulted in this award today.  

"At a time of restructuring of the distribution world, The Burning Season is a great example of new ways of thinking about reaching audiences and utilising the broad spectrum of new platforms." Cathy Henkel comments. 

Here are some highlights and achievements from The Burning Season which Cathy co-produced with Trish Lake who won Feature Film Producer of the Year in 2004. 

- World premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, in New York in April.  Five sold out screenings. 

- Played in select cinemas across Australia and New Zealand

- The film received 4 stars from At the Movies, The Courier Mail and The Australian. 

- Developed a sister action website - www.tenthingsyoucando.com. 

- There are 38 support campaigns and organisations linked to the ‘ten things’ website.

- 37% of the audience who saw the film visited the 'ten things' website to take some action. 

- Direct fundraising from events associated with the film has exceeded $87,500. This money has gone largely to Lone's orangutan sanctuary in Kalimantan.

- A stunning exhibition devoted to the film was held at Customs House in Circular Quay, Sydney

- The educational version is being distributed throughout the QLD, NSW, VIC and WA geography teachers associations 

- Hackett Films won the Gold Promax Award for Best programme Title Sequence Design

- Nominated for a Sichuan TV Festival Gold Panda award. 

- TBS translator, Suzan Piper won 2009 AUSIT Excellence in Translation Award for TBS

- It won the Brisbane International Film Festival: Audience Choice 08 and the IF Award: Best Documentary 08. 

- Screened at Australian embassy in Paris 

- A Portuguese version is being developed and a non-profit release in Brazil is being planned

 - The Indonesian version has been translated and produced. It is currently rolling out in Indonesia. 

- Madman is launching the commercial DVD in December/January 

Congratulations Cathy and the entire Burning Season team!!! 

If you would like more information or an interview with Cathy please contact:

Tara Wardrop - (07) 3872 9021 or tarawardrop@virgoproductions.com.au 

 

Hawaiian Premiere!

The Burning Season will have it's Hawaiian Premiere this week as part of the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF). The film was invited to screen in the festival's 'Green Screen' section. 

Screening dates: 

Wednesday 21 October, 8.30pm 

Thursday 22 October, 12.30pm 

More details on the screening here:  http://hawaii.bside.com/2009/films/burningseasonthe_hawaii2009

Established in 1981, the Hawaii International Film Festival is dedicated to the advancement of understanding and cultural exchange amongst the peoples of Asia, the Pacific and North America through the medium of film. 

Aloha! 

Now in French!

The Burning Season will screen this week at the Antipodean Film Festival in Saint Tropez, France. Cathy Henkel (Director/Producer) and Trish Lake (Producer) were invited to attend the screening by Festival Director, Bernard Bories.  The film has been translated and will screen with French subtitles. 

The Burning Season also has a screening on the 21st October at the Australian Embassy in Paris, which Cathy is attending. 

Since it's international premiere at the New York Tribeca Film Festival, in April, The Burning Season has been screened and or is about to screen in 8 international film festivals.  

These include: 

Tribeca Film Festival (New York)

Sydney International Film Festival (AUS)

The Sustainable Planet Film Festival (USA)

Global Peace Film Festival (USA)

Hawaii International Film Festival (Hawaii)

Antipodean Film Festival (Saint Tropez, France)

International Environmental Film Festival (Paris)

Mission Beach Film Festival (QLD)

Keep an eye out for more festivals announced soon! 

The Antipodean Film Festival is held every year and screens Australian and New Zealand films.  The screening of The Burning Season will be on October 15th. 

Trish Lake's film Subdivision will also screen at the festival on October 17th & 18th.  

For more info on the Antipodean Film Festival: http://www.festivaldesantipodes.org

5 Stars from Orlando, Florida

The Burning Season has received a rave review and 5 stars from the Orlando Weekly in the lead up to the Global Peace Film Festival:

"Aside from possibly The Cove (and barring Michael Moore's upcoming Capitalism: A Love Story), there has not been a brisker, more entertaining doc seen in these parts this year.  The Burning Season is more than a message picture; it's an adventure" Justin Sprout, Orlando Weekly. 

Check out the rest of the review here:

http://www.orlandoweekly.com/film/review.asp?rid=14596

Global Peace Film Festival

The Burning Season will have three screenings at the Global Peace Film Festival.  The festival is taking place in Orlando, Florida from September 22 - 27, 2009. 

Screening dates: 

8pm, Wednesday 23rd September 

7pm, Friday 25th September 

6.15pm, Saturday 26th September

For more information please visit:  

http://globalpeace.bside.com/2009/films/theburningseason_globalpeace2009

The Global Peace Film Festival was established to utilize the power of motion picture to further the goal of peace on earth.  

Bathurst comes out for THE BURNING SEASON fundrasier

Juanita Kwok, from Bathurst, was so moved by the images she saw at the Customs House exhibition for THE BURNING SEASON, she decided to hold her own fundraiser for the Nyaru Mentang Orangutan Sanctuary.

Juanita explains, "It was the first time I had organised a screening in Bathurst. I hired a screen at the local Multiplex cinema on a weeknight and they were very helpful in advertising the film on their Facebook and advertising material, they also showed the trailer!".

Juanita promoted the screening through local radio stations and her own networks. She received particular support from World Society for the Protection of Animals, Charles Sturt University and various environmental groups in Bathurst. This promotion and word of mouth helped to push the audience over 100 people and a great night was had by all.

In the end the screening raised $627 for Nyrau Mentang, the Orangutan Sanctuary featured in THE BURNING SEASON.

If you feel inspired and want to make a difference - hold a screening of THE BURNING SEASON.  It creates awareness and opens discussion to you local community about climate change - arguable the biggest topic in the lead up to Copenhagen in December.

Thanks to Juanita and her team for putting on this screening of THE BURNING SEASON and supporting the survival of Orangutans!