By Michelle Moskowitz
Sentinel Contributor
This year the primary focus of the Greenwich International Film Festival, which will take place June 9-12, is the power of film to make an impact on human rights. The four-day festival will feature star-studded parties, film premieres, educational panels, a children’s acting workshop, and a prestigious awards gala.
GIFF, now in its second year, is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the worlds of film, finance and philanthropy. It aims to celebrate gifted artists who create compelling, empowering and provocative films, while simultaneously promoting Greenwich as a budding visual arts epicenter.
More than 50 domestic and international films will be showcased in Greenwich—at Bow Tie Cinemas, the Cole Auditorium, Greenwich High School, Greenwich Country Day School, and the Avon Theater in Stamford. Keynote films include Rob Burnett’s “The Fundamentals of Caring,” Sophie Goodhart’s “My Blind Brother,” and Kim Snyder’s documentary “Newtown,” which chronicles how the Connecticut community banded together in the aftermath of the largest mass shooting of schoolchildren in U.S. history.
A festival highlights is the Changemakers Gala, held on Friday night at the fine clothing store Richard’s on Greenwich Avenue. This awards dinner honors artists who have used their public platform for social betterment. This year, the Changemaker award goes to Trudie Styler, an actress, film producer, and human rights activist, for her work with the Rainforest Fund, an organization dedicated to protecting rainforests and their indigenous peoples in South America, Africa and Asia. Styler and her husband, the musician Sting, have raised more than $30 million since founding the organization in 1989.
“When I first visited the Amazon and met some of the indigenous people, and saw for myself how their lives were being affected by the destruction of the rainforest, I had to find the focus to do something about it,” Styler said. “I strongly believe that most people are compassionate and recognize a shared humanity with others and will almost always feel incredibly lucky to have their health, a home, and some loved ones around them when they see others suffering hardship.”
Styler has produced several award-winning documentaries and feature films and is also a partner in Maven Films, a New York-based production company where she advocates for film roles for women over the age of 40.
Also honored this year is the Academy Award-nominated actress Abigail Breslin, best known for her roles in “Scream Queens” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” She is the recipient of the “Rising Changemaker Award” for her work with the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV).
Asked what inspired her to work with the NCADV, she said, “I have known people who have been affected by domestic violence, and I learned that one in three women and one in four men have been or will be victims in their lifetime. I wanted to shed some light on a very common and unnoticed occurrence.”
The actress, author and now singer, shared her insight with the Sentinel as to why aspiring youth should keep pursuing artistic achievement. “If you feel passionate about something, keep working towards it. You might get a lot of no’s, but I have found that if something I do artistically helps just one person in a positive way, then it was all worth it.”
While tickets and passes are required for purchase to most GIFF events, there are several engaging panel discussions free to the public, such as “Women at the Top: Female Empowerment in Media,” on Sunday, June 12tat 12:15 p.m., and “From Book to Screen,” moderated by Kathie Lee Gifford, at 2 p.m. Both discussions will be held at the Cole Auditorium.
Visit greenwichfilm.org for tickets and information on festival events, workshops and screenings.
To learn more about the Changemakers causes, visit www.rainforestfund.org and www.ncadv.org.
