This year the Red Sea Film Festival held a Creative Talk on Filmmaking with a Green Spirit. The talk was presented by the co-founder of Greener Screen, Bassam Alasad.
Greener Screen is a social enterprise supporting sustainability in the film, TV and digital media industries located in the MENA region. It advocates for more planet placement on screen, the art of displaying environmental values and behaviours in all genres of film and television. It can be brief but its lasting impact is an important contribution from the film and TV industry to global environmental and sustainability efforts.
According to Greener Screen, an average film production emits 500 tons of carbon dioxide while independent films tend to emit significantly less at under 50 tons of carbon dioxide per project. The social enterprise is aiming for a carbon-neutral industry by 2030. To further this goal, Greener Screen offers cost effective eco-alternatives to film productions, allowing for financially attractive environmental changes off screen. Their other services include training and mentorship for film professionals. Some of their partners include UK based company Albert International and the Arab Cinema Center.

Top Tips for Planet Placement by Greener Screen:
- Show Positive Actions
– Educating
– Normalising sustainable behaviour
– Amplifying
- Raising Issues
– Inspiring
– Campaigning
– Questioning
– Silencing denial.
Book Recommendations for better audience & character understanding:
- What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming, Per Espen Stoknes
- Don’t Even Think About It – Why Our Brains Are Wired To Ignore Climate Change, George Marshall.
Greener Screen will be releasing a new free calculative tool in the beginning of 2024.
Get in touch with Bassam: bassam@greenerscreen.com
For more information visit: https://www.greenerscreen.com/
Download the Green Guide: https://www.daleel.film/en/green/guide
The Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) is located in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the shores of the Red Sea, this rapidly growing MENA region film festival attracts and nurtures worldwide talent.