SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
DocsBarcelona responds to the conviction that documentaries are a powerful tool for social transformation and influence. The stories that we have been programming for years are of social benefit to the city and its citizens and directly to the audience that attends the festival.
Stories about the effects of climate change on the world, or the coexistence of human beings with nature are recurrent, as are those that reflect on the economic crisis, refugee diasporas, territorial and political conflicts and the violation of human rights in general, the gender perspective and social inclusion. Stories that the programming teams choose for their cinematographic quality, but also for their narrative strength and social interest.
This commitment, which is evident in the content, also exists in the management and execution of the event itself, with actions and measures that we carry out in our festival.
SUSTAINABILITY PLATFORM WITH PARALLEL40:
From the 2022 edition, every year DocsBarcelona calculates the carbon footprint of the event, achieving in three editions in a row a Green Festival certification. DocsBarcelona offsets its emissions with third party actions, but also carries out specific actions to reduce its environmental impact. Parallel40's permanent team attends training courses on environmental perspective and sustainability at film festivals. In 2024, we will continue to work in this direction and repeat these actions.
Sustainable energy: the main venue of the festival, the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, is a space that uses green energy, which means that all market activities and a large part of the screenings are environmentally friendly. In addition, we promote the use of LED lighting, etc. in our activities.
Sustainable transport: DocsBarcelona encourages the use of non-polluting transport, both in relation to the guests who come to the festival and to the market, using trains whenever possible, and encouraging the use of public transport, bicycles and ecological private vehicles shared between the team and the on-site stays during the festival.
Elimination of disposable plastic and consumption of zero-kilometre products: the festival has eliminated the use of disposable plastic, opting for packaging and utensils made of bamboo, glass, compostable paper and reusable bags. In addition, the contracted caterers and collaborating restaurants offer local products from local and sustainable suppliers. In addition, vegetarian options are available so as not to promote the consumption of meat.
Neutral designs: another of the measures DocsBarcelona takes in relation to sustainability is the use of neutral materials and designs: roll-*ups, canvases, bags, designs that are últis more than one edition. In addition, they are made with more sustainable materials such as recycled paper or certified paper (FSC), etc.
Waste management and reduction: through the procurement of quantities adjusted to real needs. This applies both to office materials, communication, promotion and information materials such as the catalogue, the hand programme, food, drinks, etc. As well as the promotion of the digital format for the aforementioned materials. Both in the annual work in the office and during the festival days, we carry out a proper separation of waste.
Sustainability-related film content and activities: as mentioned above, documentaries are a powerful tool for transformation, inclusion and social and environmental sustainability. The films we programme are related to current and sensitive issues. In our distribution catalogue there is a great diversity of titles dealing with climate change, the need to take care of the environment, rurality, etc. We also offer training activities and activities aimed at professionals in this area: how to produce in a sustainable way, etc. These are recurring themes in our market.
Communication: the will and certification of being a sustainable festival is carried out both internally among the team, as well as that which we communicate to our public and professionals. Our conviction is to involve the communities that follow us and participate in our events, in order to sensitise and involve all our audience on the importance of environmental sustainability.
SOCIAL INCLUSION AND GENDER PERSPECTIVE.
In the same way that environmental sustainability is one of the lines of work of the company Parallel40, so is the gender perspective, equal rights and opportunities, social inclusion and non-discrimination based on gender, class, gender identity or orientation, race, ethnicity, religious belief, origin, functional diversity or age. We work as individuals and as a collective to ensure that both the content we programme and the activities we carry out are inclusive, accessible, equal and diverse, with the aim of offering broad and plural views.
At our DocsBarcelona festival, for years we have had the objective of making female talent visible, stories where women, non-normative people and people from multiple origins are the protagonists. Promoting and giving a voice to different realities and various with a non-androcentric or non-colonial gaze.
In the 2023 edition, moreover, the editorial and programming line was dedicated to the accusation and prevention of patriarchal violence, new masculinities and the defence of the LGTBIQ+ collective. 64% of the films screened this past edition were directed by women, transgender or non-binary people. The conviction is to continue with this dynamic in the new 2024 edition.
On the other hand, and from the conviction that the documentary genre has to be a format where respect, tolerance and diversity are the protagonists, DocsBarcelona has set itself the goal of becoming a festival of reference in terms of gender perspective and the fight for non-discrimination both in front of and behind the camera. For this reason, we are working to establish an Anti-Discrimination Policy, following the models of the BFI and Berlinale, which encompasses not only the content of the films, but all the people who participate in the festival: the general public, professionals, permanent or temporary staff, volunteers, etc. This policy must be seen as a commitment to eradicate inequalities and discrimination.
This will has been manifested in the last edition 2023, with the creation of the Anti-discrimination Code, in collaboration with the Catalan Film Academy. With this code, DocsBarcelona declares that it will not allow any form of favouritism, offensive language, discrimination, harassment, abuse, marginalisation or insulting behaviour based on gender, ethnicity, religion, origin, skin colour, gender, gender orientation or gender identity, socioeconomic class, caste, functional diversity or age.
*SOCIAL INCLUSION AND ACCESSIBILITY
-Accessible spaces: DocsBarcelona takes place in multiple spaces in the city of Barcelona: CCCB, Patio Manning, Renoir Cinemas, Sala Phenomena, Casa Montjuic, all of these spaces are accessible for people with reduced mobility and/or functional diversity. There are also spaces reserved for these groups.
Cinematographic offer: the festival offers an unprecedented programme and cinematographic offer to which it would be difficult for the general public to have access. The Festival presents Spanish and international premiere films of great quality that are not part of the conventional film distribution channels.
New artistic direction and programming team: the programming team led by the new artistic director of the festival, Anna Petrus, has been renewed this past 2023 edition, with the will and purpose of creating an inclusive editorial line that pays special attention to dissident, diverse looks and with a firm commitment to inclusion and that is committed to international talent, but also to national talent, as well as to the internationalisation of the latter.
Online option: although the festival is committed to being in person and the last edition demonstrated the return of audiences to cinemas - in 2023 the in-person audience was 100% higher than in 2022, with around 9,000 people in cinemas - DocsBarcelona also offers an online version of both the festival films and the Industry activities in order to reach those who, for reasons of mobility and/or economic difficulties, etc., are unable to attend the festival.
Docs&Teens: a section of the festival dedicated to secondary school students. This section uses documentaries as a pedagogical tool on issues of inclusion, gender perspective, sustainability, tolerance and respect, and more than 3,000 young people take part.
Docs Nearby: this is the section of the festival that brings the documentary genre to towns beyond Barcelona. Municipalities that tend to have less cultural and cinematographic offer and in this way, we make the programme more accessible.
Affordable prices: we offer an unpublished programme at affordable prices and aimed at the general public. We also offer reduced rates and free admission for people with functional diversity, the unemployed, young people and other groups that may have financial barriers.
Accessibility resources: DocsBarcelona includes in its organisation and celebration measures to guarantee accessibility: subtitling, adapted sessions, enlarged print.
Communication: all these accessibility measures are announced in our promotional materials and website.
