QCinema Leads the Way to Champion Sustainability

As a premier film festival in the country, QCinema is aware of its environmental footprint, its pivotal role in shaping and influencing  the film industry. Thus, acting towards sustainability, QCinema engaged in a study on its environmental impact as a cultural event.

“Setting the Stage for Sustainability: An Environmental Impact Baseline Study of QCinema International Film Festival” is the first study of its kind in the Philippines to examine how cultural and creative industries  impact on sustainability. It is funded by the University of Glasgow (UofG) Glasgow Centre for International Development in partnership with the UPLB Foundation, Inc.

The project was presented recently to local government officials, representatives from academia, entertainment industry stakeholders, and media professionals. 

A total of 229 individuals responded to the survey. It sought to profile QCinema audiences, their festival viewing habits, level of awareness on climate change issues, willingness to act towards climate action, and perception of the festival’s economic and cultural impact.

The study found a high level of climate change awareness among QCinema audiences. It noted that 70% of respondents had a high awareness of climate change issues, and almost 86% rated climate change as an essential issue. 

Also, 72.92% strongly supported climate change efforts despite less than half (48.03%) being moderately involved in activities contributing to climate change solutions. It also found out that 64.63% of respondents were  willing to pay a sustainability fee on top of the ticket price.

On the ecological impact, the data showed that some  60% of the audience consumed food bought from establishments at the venues, and 76% consumed mostly water and soda, generating solid waste from popcorn, chips, water bottles, and soda cans. 

This initiative to establish baseline data is the first step towards creating a possible environmental management plan and sustainability framework for the festival. This can form the basis of similar plans and frameworks for other cultural and creative activities in the country.

“There is an urgent need to adopt sustainable festival practices, especially since we are a country that celebrates thousands of festivals. Many studies have shown that mounting these events considerably negatively impacts our environment. It is high time other organizers followed suit and took significant steps that could drive the cultural and creative industries towards a greener and more sustainable future,” says Michael Kho Lim, lead researcher. 

The study also examined the festival’s impact on the entertainment industry. Over 84% view the event as a pivotal educational platform. A total of 92% highly rated the festival’s contribution to appreciation of the art and craft of filmmaking. More than 85% of the respondents highly rated QCinema’s contribution to producing high-quality films.

The study also revealed that film festivals are perceived to have a significant impact on the country’s economy. Seventy-three percent of the respondents underscored the festivals’ significant role in economic stimulation, potentially boosting local spending, tourism, and employment opportunities generated by the event.

[Photo: Mayor Joy Belmonte receives a copy of ‘Setting the Stage for Sustainability: An Environmental Impact Baseline Study of QCinema International Film Festival’ from researcher Dr. Michael Kho Lim. Also in photo are (from left) QCinema Foundation President Manet Dayrit, QCinema Artistic Director Ed Lejano, and researcher Dr. Katrina Tan.]