CANADIAN ECO HERO AWARD: JENNIFER BAICHWAL

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Each year, Planet in Focus honours remarkable individuals who have made a difference in their communities and the world through their passion and body of work. Past Planet in Focus Eco Hero Award recipients include such luminaries as Margaret Atwood, Graeme Gibson, Maude Barlow, Alanis Obomsawin, Edward Burtynsky and David Suzuki. Eco Hero Award is sponsored by Esri Canada.

JENNIFER BAICHWAL’s visionary body of work focuses on portraits of artists and their legacies, while expanding these narratives to encompass wider global concerns. Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth is a meditation on the environmental and economic impact of debt as imagined by Margaret Atwood; Act of God examines the metaphysical effects of being struck by lightning; The Holier It Gets explores the unpredictability of nature through personal narrative; Manufactured Landscapes looks at environmental devastation in the photographic work of Ed Burtynsky; and The True Meaning of Pictures is a fascinating profile on Appalachian photographer Shelby Lee Adams. Baichwal’s current work-in-progress, Water, is a collaboration with Ed Burtynsky.

Baichwal will be recognized for her moving and unique vision as a filmmaker, and for creating a wider discussion about issues of environmental concern. She will accept the award on Friday, October 12 at the start of an in-conversation session entitled An Evening with Jennifer Baichwal, which will be moderated by Adam Nayman. Baichwal will be joined on stage by Nick de Pencier, her producing partner from Mercury Films, and by award-winning photographer Ed Burtynsky. They will discuss their creative collaboration on environmentally themed films.

Baichwal will also lead a workshop on creative documentary, guiding eight pre-selected documentarians through their projects currently in development or production. Applications are now being accepted. Apply by submitting a film resume, project synopsis, and a link to a 1-2 minute clip of the project posted on Vimeo by Friday, Setpember 28 at 5:00 PM to info@planetinfocus.org subject: Creative Documentary. Successful applicants will receive confirmation by October 5.

Tags: Creative Documentary, Eco-Hero Award, Industry, Jennifer Baichwal, PIF 2012