The countdown begins. The Dominican Republic
Global Festival team has already begun working
towards the celebration of the third edition of
the Festival, to take place November 18-22, 2009.
However, we do not want to move forward with the
next edition without thanking everyone for their
enthusiasm and participation in the 2008 Festival
- to the more than 100 renowned international
invitees, to the local experts, to the
collaborators in the provinces, to the more than
30,000 spectators, to the Friends of the Festival,
to the corporate sponsors, and to the diplomatic
body. To all of you, thank you.
The Festival Staff, led by General Director,
Natasha Despotovic, worked arduously since the end
of 2007 in multiple areas that required
multidisciplinary collaboration to bring to
fruition a cinematographic event of this
magnitude: technical direction, programming,
production, filmmaker relations, promotion and
marketing, communications, publications, digital
media and publicity, web design and web casting,
technological infrastructure, graphic design and
photography, professional and thematic panels,
translation, coordination of volunteers,
administration, special events, ticket sales,
university relations, corporate relations,
transportation, special services, coordination in
the provinces, and safety.
Work was realized by some 120 people in order to
ultimately arrive at a successful completion: from
the most renowned international film festivals, 36
high quality films arrived to the Dominican
Republic that corresponded to the Festival's
theme: "Global Issues, Personal Stories." The II Dominican Republic Global Film Festival
presented 26 fiction and 10 documentary films -- a
Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (GFDD)
and Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo (FUNGLODE)
initiative of unprecedented proportions,
attracting a record number of over 30,000
spectators.
All of this would not have been possible without
the support of over 200 volunteers that worked
diligently day and night so that the event would
be a success.
Additionally, thanks to close collaboration with
the Ministries of Culture, Education and Higher
Education, as well as with the Universidad
Autónoma de Santo Domingo and other
universities in the country, thousands of students
from middle schools and high schools and numerous
universities enjoyed great cinematographic works
and the presence of experts in multiple areas with
whom they were able to exchange knowledge and
experiences concerning today's world.
Moreover, 17 panels, master classes and
workshops directed towards cinematographic
industry professionals and enthusiasts were
celebrated. As a new addition to the Festival,
this year, for the first time, 14 thematic
panels related to the films principal themes
were introduced, including: the global water
crisis, AIDS, globalization and rural development,
social psychology and group dynamics, human
rights, women as agents of change, and domestic
violence.
Furthermore, the Festival presented a tribute to
Colombian Distributor Elba McAllister, Founder
and Executive Producer of Cineplex. Also, for
the first time, the Festival Public voted to
select the best dramatic and documentary film.
We invite you to recollect all that occurred
during this year's Festival by visiting our
webpage, www.drglobalfilmfestival.org. See photographs,
virtually attend panels realized, find out the
winning films, listen to interviews with
international filmmakers and read the great wealth
of content available on the site.
During the Closing Night celebrated Sunday,
November 23 at the National Theater in Santo
Domingo, the General Director announced that the
third edition of the Festival would be celebrated November 18-22, 2009. "Starting now we are
preparing a variety of contents, which will
include new components, such as a day of Dominican
shorts. Accompany us on the journey and prepare
for a Festival that is each time larger and more
impactful, each time more complete and more
enriching. See you soon!"
