We are excited to announce the 10 talented finalists for our CMG Action Grant! CMG will be awarding at least two $5,000-$10,000 grants for projects that uses video to create measurable action in healthy oceans or renewable energy solutions. These 10 finalists have been invited to submit a second proposal further detailing their project. The winners of the Action Grant will be announced by June 1st, 2016.
Proposed projects were required to include a theme that relates to creating change in healthy oceans or renewable energy solutions and a video concept under 5 minutes with a clearly defined target audience and specific call to action. The application was available on our website and was open to filmmakers, organizations and individuals with any level of experience and any project location.
The Finalists for the 2016 CMG Action Grant are:
• Dark to Dark, proposal by Zach Caldwell
The campaign, targeted toward communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, follows Washikala Malango, a Mandela Washington Scholar and former refugee of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through his daily life in Bukavu on the edge of the electrical grid. The film highlights the urgency for appropriate and sustainable energy thru grassroots initiatives and educates viewers on sustainable energy thru multiple screenings and social media.
• The Project, proposal by Richard Charter, The Ocean Foundation
The multi-part video campaign is about securing National Marine Sanctuary Desigination to permanently protect California's Mendocino Coast from offshore drilling and other polluting activities. The Project's videos will serve as a template to help the public easily understand and participate in this process and achieve a successful nominations. It will be played for regional consituents, elected officials, and key stakeholders to ensure the National Marine Sanctuary Designation is achieved.
• The Devil RAYality Project, proposal by Daniel Copeland, Manta Trust
Using virtual reality underwater camera, the film illustrates ecotourism potential of mobula rays in the Azores in a hope to list mobula rays on the Appendices of CITES. Currently, mobula rays gill plates are being used by Traditional Asian Medicine, but by gaining CITES protection the gill plate trade would cease. Impact will be measured by signatures received and media outlets that feature the story.
• 5 Gyres Action Campaign: Bead Free, proposal by Anna Cummins, 5 Gyres
The video project educates viewers on the absurd quantity of microbeads in our oceans - a major cause of ocean pollution. Most microplastics are impossible to trace back to a primary source; however with microbeads, 5 Gyres was able to identify manufacturers and products, and demand a design change. The film teaches consumers about alternatives they should consider to current plastic purchases. Impact will be measured by the amount of online signature support to keep microbeads kept of out of the ocean, with a goal of stopping at least 1 billion microbeads.
• The Sea and Shakti, proposal by Emi Koch, Coast 2 Coast
The film serves as a participatory transmedia project that will provide a digital advocacy platform for 2 million traditional fisherwomen in India demanding changes in national development policies to improve resilience and productivity of small-scale fisheries and highlight the severity of overfishing. Impact will be measured through feedback from workshop participants through surveys administered by local partners, the number of oral accounts recorded via the low-tech telephone line after local screenings in small-scale fisheries, the number of visitors listening to contributors’ narratives, and the amount of media attention that the petition attracts in India and internationally.
• The Problem With Plastic, proposal by Lucie Muir, Wildscreen
The film serves as an educational campaign geared toward UK public who are unaware of ocean plastic pollution through 4 major areas: plastic consumption by oceanic animals, balloon release, beach litter, and discarding fishing gear. The film will demonstrate practical actions the public can take to do their part and be presented with a series of pledges they can sign up to following the film. Impact will be measured by asking viewers, including individuals, school groups and organizations, to record their pledges and actions via a survey linked to the video.
• Suprianto’s Story, proposal by Eliza Muirhead
The film tells the story of Suprianto, an undocumented Indonesian fisherman who lost his life on board a distant-water fishing vessel under suspicious circumstances. In the short term, the aim of the project is to secure justice for Suprianto. In the longer term, it aims to use his story as a wedge to pry open the industrial, distant-water fishing business model and link the issue of social justice with bad fishing practices. Currently, there are 25,000 Indonesian fishermen missing or unaccounted for at sea and the film hopes to provide a glimpse into these corrupt practices.
• Energy Equity, proposal by Julia Nerbonne, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light leverages the power of faith communities to promote the climate justice movement and their video campaign consists of 4 films that promote different kinds of systemic action that congregants or communities can take that will mitigate both climate change and social justice. Impact will be measured by the number of postcards signed, the number of divestment campaigns launched, the number of congregations that engage in Carbon Neutrality campaigns, and the number of policy petitions signed.
• Water Warriors, proposal by Michael Premo
This video highlights the struggle over land and water that is happening at the hyper-local level, town by town, as municipalities balance the tension between short-term well leasing profits and long-term health and environmental impacts. The film showcases an indigenous community and their white allies who dared to to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and is an inspirational call to action.
• Earth Is Blue - Immersive Ocean Awareness in Virtual Reality, proposal by David Ruck, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA)
This campaign focuses on ocean health and the issue of plastics in our oceans, with the goal being a shift from knowledge transfer to audience engagement. Two videos will remind viewers of the hazards of plastics in our oceans for aquatic life and showcase how plastics reach the ocean from ground to sea. The films will be distributed National Marine Sanctuary visitor centers, schools, trade shows and film festivals where sanctuary volunteers and staff allow users to wear virtual reality technology to experience these engaging videos.
Conservation Media Group distributes a limited number of Action Grants each year to catalyze the production & distribution of a short video or series of short videos with a clear and significant call to action. Find out more information about CMG Action Grants HERE.
We are excited to announce the 10 talented finalists for our CMG Action Grant! CMG will be awarding at least two $5,000-$10,000 grants for projects that uses video to create measurable action in healthy oceans or renewable energy solutions. These 10 finalists have been invited to submit a second proposal further detailing their project. The winners of the Action Grant will be announced by June 1st, 2016.
Proposed projects were required to include a theme that relates to creating change in healthy oceans or renewable energy solutions and a video concept under 5 minutes with a clearly defined target audience and specific call to action. The application was available on our website and was open to filmmakers, organizations and individuals with any level of experience and any project location.
The Finalists for the 2016 CMG Action Grant are:
• Dark to Dark, proposal by Zach Caldwell
The campaign, targeted toward communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, follows Washikala Malango, a Mandela Washington Scholar and former refugee of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, through his daily life in Bukavu on the edge of the electrical grid. The film highlights the urgency for appropriate and sustainable energy thru grassroots initiatives and educates viewers on sustainable energy thru multiple screenings and social media.
• The Project, proposal by Richard Charter, The Ocean Foundation
The multi-part video campaign is about securing National Marine Sanctuary Desigination to permanently protect California's Mendocino Coast from offshore drilling and other polluting activities. The Project's videos will serve as a template to help the public easily understand and participate in this process and achieve a successful nominations. It will be played for regional consituents, elected officials, and key stakeholders to ensure the National Marine Sanctuary Designation is achieved.
• The Devil RAYality Project, proposal by Daniel Copeland, Manta Trust
Using virtual reality underwater camera, the film illustrates ecotourism potential of mobula rays in the Azores in a hope to list mobula rays on the Appendices of CITES. Currently, mobula rays gill plates are being used by Traditional Asian Medicine, but by gaining CITES protection the gill plate trade would cease. Impact will be measured by signatures received and media outlets that feature the story.
• 5 Gyres Action Campaign: Bead Free, proposal by Anna Cummins, 5 Gyres
The video project educates viewers on the absurd quantity of microbeads in our oceans - a major cause of ocean pollution. Most microplastics are impossible to trace back to a primary source; however with microbeads, 5 Gyres was able to identify manufacturers and products, and demand a design change. The film teaches consumers about alternatives they should consider to current plastic purchases. Impact will be measured by the amount of online signature support to keep microbeads kept of out of the ocean, with a goal of stopping at least 1 billion microbeads.
• The Sea and Shakti, proposal by Emi Koch, Coast 2 Coast
The film serves as a participatory transmedia project that will provide a digital advocacy platform for 2 million traditional fisherwomen in India demanding changes in national development policies to improve resilience and productivity of small-scale fisheries and highlight the severity of overfishing. Impact will be measured through feedback from workshop participants through surveys administered by local partners, the number of oral accounts recorded via the low-tech telephone line after local screenings in small-scale fisheries, the number of visitors listening to contributors’ narratives, and the amount of media attention that the petition attracts in India and internationally.
• The Problem With Plastic, proposal by Lucie Muir, Wildscreen
The film serves as an educational campaign geared toward UK public who are unaware of ocean plastic pollution through 4 major areas: plastic consumption by oceanic animals, balloon release, beach litter, and discarding fishing gear. The film will demonstrate practical actions the public can take to do their part and be presented with a series of pledges they can sign up to following the film. Impact will be measured by asking viewers, including individuals, school groups and organizations, to record their pledges and actions via a survey linked to the video.
• Suprianto’s Story, proposal by Eliza Muirhead
The film tells the story of Suprianto, an undocumented Indonesian fisherman who lost his life on board a distant-water fishing vessel under suspicious circumstances. In the short term, the aim of the project is to secure justice for Suprianto. In the longer term, it aims to use his story as a wedge to pry open the industrial, distant-water fishing business model and link the issue of social justice with bad fishing practices. Currently, there are 25,000 Indonesian fishermen missing or unaccounted for at sea and the film hopes to provide a glimpse into these corrupt practices.
• Energy Equity, proposal by Julia Nerbonne, Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light leverages the power of faith communities to promote the climate justice movement and their video campaign consists of 4 films that promote different kinds of systemic action that congregants or communities can take that will mitigate both climate change and social justice. Impact will be measured by the number of postcards signed, the number of divestment campaigns launched, the number of congregations that engage in Carbon Neutrality campaigns, and the number of policy petitions signed.
• Water Warriors, proposal by Michael Premo
This video highlights the struggle over land and water that is happening at the hyper-local level, town by town, as municipalities balance the tension between short-term well leasing profits and long-term health and environmental impacts. The film showcases an indigenous community and their white allies who dared to to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and is an inspirational call to action.
• Earth Is Blue - Immersive Ocean Awareness in Virtual Reality, proposal by David Ruck, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA)
This campaign focuses on ocean health and the issue of plastics in our oceans, with the goal being a shift from knowledge transfer to audience engagement. Two videos will remind viewers of the hazards of plastics in our oceans for aquatic life and showcase how plastics reach the ocean from ground to sea. The films will be distributed National Marine Sanctuary visitor centers, schools, trade shows and film festivals where sanctuary volunteers and staff allow users to wear virtual reality technology to experience these engaging videos.
Conservation Media Group distributes a limited number of Action Grants each year to catalyze the production & distribution of a short video or series of short videos with a clear and significant call to action. Find out more information about CMG Action Grants HERE.
Congratulations to the finalists!