Financial Plan & RoadmapSection 08
Federal patronage — Germany
"The Green Me Filmfestival contributes in a very impressive way to develop a sensitivity for nature and our environment, and by these means to activate everyone. Therefore I accepted the patronage for this festival with great pleasure."
Dr. Barbara Hendricks, Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Head of state — Monaco
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco addressed the Green Me Festival directly by video message and supported the festival financially.
▶ VIDEO — H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco addresses the Green Me Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiULB_ylDhY[embed inline]
The Green Me Global Festival for Sustainability has been held consecutively in Berlin since 2008. Its 10th anniversary was celebrated in Berlin in January 2017. In 2013, during the 6th edition, a Nollywood special was featured: the festival honoured Nollywood filmmakers for the first time and awarded the Green Me Film Award, an EUR 5,000.00 award focused on the green film genre. The festival has been hosted twice in Los Angeles and once in New York. Its unique and extraordinary nature earned it the Earth Day Award in 2013 from Dallas, Texas.
Since 2016 the festival has been hosted on four continents and in five cities: Berlin, Germany; Lagos, Nigeria; Tehran, Iran; Cannes, France; Los Angeles, USA.
Founded by Nicolai Niemann; first Berlin edition
6th edition — Nollywood special, first Green Me Film Award (5,000 €); Earth Day Award from Dallas, Texas
9th Berlin edition, CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz; over fifty films; Prince Albert II video message and financial support
Lagos, Nigeria — Film Workshop introduced, six film schools, 48-hour competition
Tehran, Iran — Iran International Green Film Festival, 96-hour workshop, three film schools
Cannes, France — Cannes Lions; Villa Think Tank introduced
Los Angeles, USA — Regent Theatre; opened at the German Consulate General
10th anniversary, Berlin; six sites — Berlin, Cologne, Cannes, Lagos, Los Angeles, Dallas
Financing; location recce — Tel Aviv, Toronto, New York
The funded programme — 11 new countries a year plus the Berlin January flagship
Reading this figure: Berlin annually since 2008. In 2016 the festival ran on four continents in five cities, introducing the Film Workshop in Lagos and the Villa Think Tank in Cannes — both now fixed parts of the format. 2017 marked the tenth anniversary across six sites.
| Year | Event | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Founded by Nicolai Niemann; first Berlin edition | Origin |
| 2013 | 6th edition — Nollywood special, first Green Me Film Award (5,000 €); Earth Day Award from Dallas, Texas | Milestone |
| 2016 | 9th Berlin edition, CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz; over fifty films; Prince Albert II video message and financial support | Milestone |
| 2016 | Lagos, Nigeria — Film Workshop introduced, six film schools, 48-hour competition | Expansion |
| 2016 | Tehran, Iran — Iran International Green Film Festival, 96-hour workshop, three film schools | Expansion |
| 2016 | Cannes, France — Cannes Lions; Villa Think Tank introduced | Expansion |
| 2016 | Los Angeles, USA — Regent Theatre; opened at the German Consulate General | Expansion |
| 2017 | 10th anniversary, Berlin; six sites — Berlin, Cologne, Cannes, Lagos, Los Angeles, Dallas | Milestone |
| 2026 | Financing; location recce — Tel Aviv, Toronto, New York | Pre-programme |
| 2027–2036 | The funded programme — 11 new countries a year plus the Berlin January flagship | Funded |
Berlin, Germany — January 2016. The 9th Green Me Film Festival Berlin, at the CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz. Over fifty documentary and feature films with environmental topics were screened, with many producers present for after-screening panel discussions. Panels were held by notable environmentalists including Dr. Auma Obama, founder of the Sauti Kuu foundation and then matron of the festival. Sponsors and NGOs including BMW Motorrad and the Rewe Group exhibited at the marketplace. Ten awards were given in the categories "Ocean", "Life" and "Water". Prince Albert II of Monaco sent a video message and supported the festival financially.
Lagos, Nigeria — March/April 2016. At the Silverbird Cinemas, Victoria Island. All three major sections functioned autonomously and collectively brought the festival to an impressive Gala Award Night. The Film Workshop was introduced here — film schools challenged in a think-tank instant short film competition. Six film schools participated, each producing a short film on the year's topic of "Ocean", "Life" and "Water" within 48 hours.
Tehran, Iran — May 2016. Green Me participated in the Iran International Green Film Festival, hosting a three-day event. A selection of films from the Berlin award recipients was screened. The Film Workshop ran as a 96-hour instant short film competition with three film schools participating. Panel sessions showcasing the year's special topic of Ocean and Water were held at the Cinema Felestin. The award and prize money for the winning film school was presented at the IIGFF Gala.
Cannes, France — June 2016. Green Me participated at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 20–24 June, introducing the Villa Think Tank — a new platform for deliberation on sustainability issues, featuring the Congress and Marketplace segments. Panel discussions were held on diverse environmental topics, most notably a presentation by Mrs. Pascale Vaillant, deputy mayor for the environment in Cannes. The BMW C evolution electric maxi-scooter was stationed at the Villa, with daily escorted bike tours.
Los Angeles, USA — October 2016. At the Regent Theatre, with all three segments represented. An impressive number of films was screened and the best in each category received the Green Me Award. Many Los Angeles environmental organisations participated in the congress and panel discussions. The festival opened on 17 October with a press conference at the German Consulate General.
Festival sites, 2017: Berlin · Cologne · Cannes · Lagos · Los Angeles · Dallas
Reported guest attendance: Berlin 10,000 · further German locations 2,500 · Los Angeles 1,250 · Cannes 700.
Venues of record: CinemaxX Potsdamer Platz and TIPI am Kanzleramt (Berlin) · Cinedom, Im Mediapark (Cologne) · Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island (Lagos) · Regent Theatre (Los Angeles) · Pre-Oscar Party / Global Green (Los Angeles).
Personalities associated with the Green Me Awards Gala and program include Danny DeVito, Senta Berger, Claudia Roth, Dr. Auma Obama, Klaus Wowereit, Nina Eichinger, Jessica Schwarz and Sarah Wiener. Think-tank and congress participants have included Marina Köhn (German Environment Agency), Christian Sommer (Country Representative Germany, Motion Picture Association), Dr. Laura Zentner and Fabian Sacharowitz (KPMG).
| Partner | Function |
|---|---|
| Celsius Entertainment | Global distribution consultant for film sales — celsiusentertainment.com |
| Jointventure Filmgroup LLC / Arenas Casting, Miami | Film development and co-production — arenascasting.com |
| Viewpark / Soundpark | Film finance and web3 — New York, London, Dubai, Sydney, Singapore |
| CNP Film, Istanbul | Film co-production and reshooting for the Arabic film market — cnpfilm.com |
| EarthxTV, Dallas | Streaming platform, partner for environmental filmmaking — earthxtv.com |
| Volucap | Production technology partner — volucap.com |
| Michael Scheel | Executive producer and project consultant, international co-production |
National Geographic · EarthX · Berlinale · Hamburger Klimawoche · Deutsche Meeresstiftung · PwC · BMW AG / BMW Motorrad / BMW C evolution · Volkswagen AG · Rewe Group · Bionade · Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) · BSR Berlin · Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC) · Grüne Liga
Partner network strengths: a global network across multiple continents and entirely different cultures; global educational expertise with universities through joint workshops; film and storytelling; communication across diverse cultures.