Locarno: Dr. Austrian “Matter Out of Place” Wins First Green Leopard Environmental Award

matter is out of placeA chilling documentary about the world’s growing problem of waste and waste management won the inaugural Pardo Verde WWF ‘Green Leopard’ environmental award from the Locarno Film Festival and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Directed by famous Austrian documentary filmmaker Nikolaus Geirhalter (our daily bread, Earth), matter is out of place It tracks how the rich world’s garbage is dumped in remote areas of the world and follows Sisyphus’ work of garbage collectors and garbage managers as they try to clean up the mess. Autlook Filmsales is handling project sales all over the world.

With its new environmental film award, Locarno hopes to raise awareness and provide promotional support for films that highlight environmental issues and offer “audiences new and challenging interpretations that inspire change”. The WWF Pardo Verde Trophy is a bright green version of Locarno’s traditional Golden Leopard Award.

Locarno, which has been climate neutral since 2010, is committed to a series of sustainability goals set by the United Nations. Last year, it began publishing an annual sustainability report that documents progress toward its green goals. In addition to the new award, the Swiss festival announced plans to create a new green film fund to provide financial support for films that tackle environmental issues.

The WWF Pardo Verde award was announced at the closing ceremony of the 75th Locarno Festival on Saturday.