Children of the Mountains

Children of the Mountains

Documentary on Agtas wins prize in Planet in Focus filmfest

“Children of the Mountains” won the Mark Haslam prize in the Planet in Focus Film Festival in Toronto. This award launched in honor of Festival Founder Mark Haslam is presented to any drama, animation, documentary, or experimental work that embodies integrity, quality, originality, perspective and power to inspire reflection and positive actions towards the social and ecological health of the planet.

Planet in Focus featured recently 79 thought-provoking and entertaining films from over 31 countries including many Canadian and world premieres. The festival screened a diversity of genres – feature film, short drama, animation, and experimental works – a testimony to the artistic creativity of engaged filmmakers working with environmental themes.

On hand to receive the award were Jukka Holopainen, Boyd Pickup, and Margie Babon from the Center for Environmental Awareness and Education and Apocalypse Point Productions based in the Philippines. Their first documentary, “Children of the Mountains” is the story of the Agta, one of the last hunter gatherer tribes in the world. Displaced by the unabated logging in the Sierra Madre Mountain they share a powerful story of abuse and neglect and stoically speak about the fate of the forests.

The Philippines, a global mega hot spot for biodiversity with some of the richest rainforests in the world, is undergoing an ecological collapse with less than 3% of old growth forests. With mining and logging companies encroaching on the last tracts of rainforests, there will be little left of the abundant natural resources that the country once had and have squandered.

“Films have a way of reaching people across all cultures and generations and can serve as a testament and as an educational tool,” remarked Holopainen, President of CEAE, Executive Producer, Producer and Writer of the critically acclaimed winning film. “We started the documentary film with little more than a dream, with no budget and little experience but we knew that there was a very important story to tell and we knew someone had to tell it.”

The Center for Environmental Awareness and Education also sponsors an annual environmental film festival in the Philippines, www.moonrisefilmfest.org that debuted last August 18 – 21 in Gateway Mall. “There are many stories about the Philippines, about her land, her people, her wildlife and her culture. We want to give a venue to other filmmakers to inspire and encourage them to do quality documentaries about the Philippines. This award means a lot to us. Not only does it validates our efforts as filmmakers but also provides focus on the environmental issues in the country,” Holopainen said.

Participation in the Planet in Focus Film Festival was sponsored by the Canada Fund through CIDA. For more information about “Children of the Mountains”, please call up CEAE at (632) 721-7360 or email info@ceae.org.

(PRESS RELEASE)