Spain at the Environmental Film Festival 2015

Now in its 23rd edition, the leading showcase for environmental films in the U.S. hosts the premiere of The E-Waste Tragedy and the documentary Costa da Morte.

The E-Waste Tragedy.

• On Wednesday, March 25, 6:30 p.m at Goethe-Institut.
• Discussion with filmmaker Cosima Dannoritzer will follow.
• Directed by Cosima Dannoritzer, 86 minutes, France / Spain. Produced by Joan Ubeda.
• Free. No reservations required.

Every year, up to 50 million tons of electronic waste –computers, television sets, mobile phones, household appliances– are thrown away by consumers in the developed countries. 75% of this waste disappears from the legal recycling circuit, much of it dumped illegally in the Third World.

This investigation shows the greedy, corrupt, illegal commerce behind this type of waste. The consequences: serious environmental and health damage, and a growing risk to our safety, as damaged computer chips siphoned off recycled e-waste find their way into key infrastructure, such as trains and airplanes.

About Cosima Dannoritzer

Cosima Dannoritzer is a documentary filmmaker specializing in history, ecology and the relationship between technology and society. She has been making films for broadcasters in the UK, Germany and Spain since 1992. The E-Waste Tragedy is her latest work. Her previous documentary, The Light Bulb Conspiracy, about the history and impact of planned obsolescence was distributed to more than thirty territories and has won ten international festival awards. Previous productions include If Rubbish Could Speak, winner of several awards at environmental film festivals; Germany Inside Out, a series produced for BBC & YLE, which is still widely distributed; Rebuilding Berlin, winner of the Journalism Prize of the Anglo-German Society. She is also the co-writer of a book about the history of planned obsolescence. Cosima is currently working on a film about the effects of speed and acceleration on society.

Costa da Morte

• On Monday, March 23, 7:10 p.m at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
• Directed by Lois Patiño. Produced by Felipe Lage and Martin Pawley.
• Buy tickets.

Costa da Morte sits on the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain, in an area distinguished by rocks, mist and storms. Its dramatic name comes from the numerous shipwrecks that have happened here throughout history. The wind, stones, sea, and fire are all characters alongside the people who inhabit this vast, unforgiving territory. Craftsmen wage an intimate battle while fishermen and loggers dig into the mystery of the landscape interwoven with the region’s history and legends.