By Cesar Almeida
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life as a One Earth Film Festival reviewer is like? Lucky for you we have an outstanding and dedicated film reviewer ready to share her experience. But before we get into the nitty gritty, we would like to summarize the hard work of all 91 film reviewers!
This year's review process by the numbers:
218 long & short films were reviewed beginning of Sept to mid Dec
91 film reviewers participated
1,043 evaluations/film report cards submitted (average of 11 per reviewer)
45,104 minutes of total viewing time (or 752 hours)
501 minutes of average viewing time per reviewer (or 8.35 hours)
So, as we gear up for the 2023 One Earth Film Festival, let's give a round of applause to the reviewers who have worked tirelessly to bring us the best films for this year's event. Their passion for film and commitment to showcasing important and relevant stories is what sets this film festival apart and makes it a must-attend event for all environmentalists and film lovers.
We recently interviewed Kyla Muhammad, the community engagement coordinator at The Conservation Foundation. Kyla is a new reviewer this year and reviewed 30 long and short films this season.
Kyla Muhammad
Q: Why did you decide to volunteer with One Earth Film Festival as a Film Reviewer?
A: I'm all about meeting people where they're at in terms of trying to foster and deepen environmental connections and I think that film is a powerful, accessible way to start to get people thinking more deeply about nature and the environment. That's one of the things that I think is great about OEFF because it uses film to inspire people to action.
Q: What is a typical day as a film reviewer like?
A: Being a One Earth Film Reviewer felt like being on an adventure where you never knew which journey you were about to take next or which emotions were going to surface. Early on in the process, my children and husband decided to jump on board and watch as many of the films with me as time allowed or as was appropriate (for the kids). This aspect turned film reviewing into a great family activity that was filled with colorful discussions and debate about which ratings and feedback to assign to each film and learning about new topics that weren't on any of our radars. We never knew exactly when we'd receive the next batch of films, so my kids would get excited whenever I'd tell them the next group arrived and would want to watch them after school. Since the films varied greatly in length and topics, we never knew what to expect and that was the part I enjoyed the most, the diversity of environmental films that we watched. These films got us to laugh, cry, reflect, be angry, feel inspired, and everything in between, so even though some films fell flat, finding those gem films that could inspire people to action made me feel proud to participate in the reviewing process.
Q: What is one way that you would like to Get Loud about climate change in 2023?
A: I'm hoping that sometime in 2023, I'll be able to get some ongoing environmental movie nights and discussion going out at McDonald Farm (where The Conservation Foundation is located) to pull in more people to get them thinking and acting more on environmental issues.