What is a 'green' film?

The film begins with a quote by John Lennon: “A dream we dream alone is only a dream; a dream you dream together is reality.” This quote embodies the power of art and film and how they work together toward a common purpose.

CONNECTION, a short film shot in India, Pakistan, Ghana, LA, and Hong Kong, is a compelling testament to the power of small changes. It has been chosen for the esteemed Valley Film Festival, the influential Green Festival, and the Canadian Fashion Film Festival. This film reminds us that our individual actions, no matter how small, can have a significant impact on our environment.

There was a memorable quote from the movie “The Beach (2002),” directed by one of our favorite directors, Danny Boyle: “For mine is a generation that circles the globe and searches for something we haven’t tried before. So never refuse an invitation, never resist the unfamiliar...”

Our latest film, “Connection,” was born out of this spirit of adventure, echoing the philosophy of “The Beach.” We embarked on a global journey, exploring the unfamiliar and seeking the best way to narrate a modern tale about our relationship with our disintegrating yet stunning home, planet Earth.

Daniel Lir and Bayou Bennett, AKA The Dream Team, are on a mission to uplift the world through cinematic, inspiring storytelling at the highest level. Over their 15 years of collaboration, the duo writers/ directors/producers have won over 75 awards and worked with an unrivaled client list, including Oscar nominees Michelle Pfeiffer, Mark Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis, and Jane Fonda, as well as brands and celebrities such as Coldplay, Lindsey Stirling, John Legend, and Norman Reedus. They contribute an exclusive piece, offering suggestions on making a green film and stressing how green is more than a ‘buzzword’ in fashion, architecture, and cinema.

Our research led us to environmental hotspots that vividly told our story: the sweatshops of Southern India, the plastic- infested environs of Ghana-Africa, the ‘one with the Earth’ village life in Hanza Valley, Pakistan, and the electric over- consumption of Hong Kong. The message is clear: as a human race, we are all ‘connected,’ and our actions, positive

or negative, have a chain reaction of environmental causes and effects across our globe.

As filmmakers, we absolutely tried something we hadn’t tried before — finding creators (through Instagram and friends) across the globe in these environmental hot spots and guiding their creativity remotely via detailed storyboards, over Zoom and WhatsApp to make key parts of the film.

We also colored outside of our normal cinematic lines by making the film following green protocols. Through our production, we wished to practice what we preached — to tell a story of a self- interested fashion influencer who only cares about profits and her own goals, ultimately awakening and transforming to discover that her daily environmental actions have a global impact.

We decided: no plastic bottles on set; we’ll recycle, only use metal water bottles, strive to use compostable packaging,

reuse props, design handmade fashion constructed out of cotton and sustainable fabrics, and responsibly handle our production waste. It was truly remarkable how much the crew positively responded in an industry notorious for its wasteful practices. Going green also made the film more fun to produce.

The seed of “Connection” was an invitation by influential Italian cinema journalist and artistic director Silvia Bizio to screen an environmental-themed film to make a difference in the world amongst cinema legends like Matt Dillon, Marisa Tomei, Director Terry Gilliam, Mathew Modine, and others at Ora Fest! in Italy.

Since that initial screening, we filmmakers have realized that human beings from all walks of life and educational levels are all too happy to contribute and make a difference. You just have to open their eyes, which is what we do best at Dream Team Directors.

As part of every screening, we illustrate how our simple daily actions such as shutting off the lights when they aren’t being used, bringing our bags to the supermarket, and avoiding using single- use plastics which pollute our oceans-the source of 70 percent or more of our oxygen on Earth as well as not supporting wasteful fast fashion... are amongst the solutions. Further, these simple actions multiplied by millions or billions of people doing them allow us to change the destiny of our planet positively.