Dell and actor Adrian Grenier have announced the “Legacy of Good” short documentary film contest, aimed at creating compelling stories to raise awareness around the circular economy movement and the role of technology in creating a better future. As the Dell Social Good Advocate, Grenier will work directly with the winning filmmaker to develop and promote the film. Supporting partners committed to fostering digital storytelling include Adobe, Austin Film Society, FilmFreeway, The Huffington Post, RED Digital Cinema and Grenier’s sustainable lifestyle platform, SHFT.
The winning filmmaker will receive a cash prize of $25,000 for production costs and $20,000 (approximate retail value) of technology for use in the making of the short film, including a Precision tower workstation and an UltraSharp 27” 5K monitor courtesy of Dell, a RED Scarlet-W camera and a year’s subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Film production assistance will be provided by SHFT and Austin Film Society, and FilmFreeway will serve as the film contest submission and promotion partner. As the official media partner, The Huffington Post will produce a circular economy content series, including a Q&A with the winning filmmaker, and will screen the winning film.
"We’re looking to engage filmmakers who are passionate about social-good issues and want to drive positive change through the power of storytelling,” said Grenier, who also recently used his powers for good as an ambassador for Naked Juice’s Drink Good. Do Good. campaign. “There are many inspiring examples of how innovative thinking and new technologies can help us to create a more sustainable economy and we want to bring these stories to light to help inspire broader action.”
A circular economy seeks to design waste out of the system, prioritizing more efficient use resources for longer periods of time — more and more research points to mass transition to circular design and production models as an incredibly lucrative business opportunity for a variety of industries including electronics ($10 billion annually) and plastics ($80-120 billion annually), and roughly $1T annually for the global economy. The contest will be won by the entry that offers the most promise to build awareness and understanding of the benefits of the circular economy and the role of technology in a more sustainable future.
Entries of a written synopsis, sample video (1-2 minutes) and supporting visuals will be accepted through March 31, 2016. The winner, which will be selected by a panel of film, circular economy and technology experts, will be announced on Earth Day (April 22). Grenier will present the prize package to the winning filmmaker by May 15. The final film must be 5-10 minutes long and completed by August 15, 2016.
Dell has adopted a number of circular economy initiatives as part of its Legacy of Good Plan, its 2020 sustainability strategy made up of goals including reducing the energy intensity of its product portfolio by 80 percent and closing materials loops.