MISSION & MANDATE
Planet in Focus is an environmental media arts organization with year-round programming which launched in 1999. Our mandate is to produce cultural events that showcase engaging and artistic films that question, explore and tell stories about the world in which we live. We use film as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion and engagement on a broad range of environmental issues.
Our goal is to enlighten, engage and entertain audiences of all backgrounds – through film.
Mark Haslam,
Festival Founder
Mark was the Founder and Director of the Planet in Focus Environmental Film and Video Festival from 1999 to 2004 during which the festival evolved into an important event on Ontario’s film festival calendar. Earlier in his career, Mark was a writer, director and producer at Vision TV for several programs, including a Gemini Award-winning series. He has been on the programming committee of Desh Pardesh, the multidisciplinary South Asian arts and culture festival and he has served on programming juries for the Hot Docs and Inside Out festivals. He has contributed both as an editor and as a writer to a variety of publications dealing with film, cultural studies and the environment. Mark has a Masters degree in both Fine Arts and Environmental Studies and he is a Fellow with LEAD (Leadership for Environmental and Development) International in London, England.
OUR MISSION IS TO:
EXPAND opportunities for artists to create and exhibit new works in the environmental genre with themes that celebrate, question and establish varied ways of viewing the state of our world
ESTABLISH a hub for artists and producers of environmental artistic media at our annual festival, on-line and in varied events throughout the year locally, nationally and internationally for the exhibition of environmental media
INCLUDE and encourage diverse perspectives (e.g., Aboriginal, women, multi-cultural, diasporas, international, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, racial, spiritual and economic status)
PROVIDE the viewing public a layered experience, appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic range of environmental artistic expression in Canada and globally
PROMOTE the use of film and video as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion and appropriate action and positive change on the ecological and social health of the planet
BROADLY DEFINE the environment that includes the natural, cultural, social, political-economic environments and the dynamic relationships between these. This includes everything from the bodies we live in, to the physical structures, institutions and industries humans build, to the politics, languages and cultural practices we use to communicate, and of course, to the environment-Earth and its complex multitude of life and processes
Planet in Focus is a proud member of:
