Fantastic project. Every year, the Festival exceeds itself in quality of entries and breadth of topics. Its well organized, on a very modest budget and with mostly volunteer staff. I have worked in the film industry as well as for a number of nonprofit organizations and Global Peace Film Festival stands out in both fields.
I have closely followed the Global Peace Film Festival since its inception in 2003. The Festival programs excellent films relevant to the social issues and forward looking solutions that mark our conflicted times. But of equal importance is the successful outreach and community engagement that has been a central focus of the Festival's staff and Executive Director. They have established a practice of working with national, Florida-wide and especially local Orlando organizations to both build audience for the Festival and support for the local organizations. From my perspective as a former program director at Free Speech TV and as Executive Director of Deep Dish TV, this festival has more measurable impact than many larger festivals.
The Global Peace Film Festival has partnered with the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia College for the past 5 years. The Festival has brought wonderful and eye-opening films to our students and community. Nina Streich, the Executive Director, has an amazing ability to connect filmmakers with our audiences to bring us an even more in depth understanding of the film and the message. Orlando is fortunate to have such high class film festival that welcomes so many amazing filmmakers to our community and spreads the message of peace and justice through the arts.
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As an educator at Valencia College in Orlando, I was thrilled to learn about the Global Peace Film Festival and actively seek a partnership with this nonprofit. The Peace and Justice Initiative at the college aims to teach nonviolence and respect for all people through curricular and co-curricular means. The Peace Film Festival is the perfect venue for using film to teach Global perspectives on peace as it unfolds in so many walks of life. Over the past few years we have worked closely with the Director, Nina Striech to select films appropriate for our learning environment. Nina has proven herself a master at connecting us with the best films, film directors and producers to bring peace education to life. The suggestion earlier this year to bring "Pray the Devil Back to Hell" with the guest Agnes Umunnna from Liberia proved to be a powerful learning experience for our students, faculty and staff alike. I am grateful to have this platform for peace education in Central Florida. Nina's tireless efforts have affected many lives and Valencia College is an avid fan of the festival and its mission.
The Global Peace Film Festival is a top-notch organization that provides the community with a great public service--good films about social justice. I've been pleased to partner with Global Peace a number of times under the auspices of the LWV of Florida and Florida Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence. I look forward to continuing to support Global Peace and the tremendous public service they provide to our communities!
Patti Brigham, Orlando
An incredible film organization and event providing great film that's meant to help us think and see the world through many viewpoints and beliefs.
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The GPFF is an invaluable tool for awareness and education on a great variety of social and environmental subjects.
I've attended the Global Peace Film Festival for the past four years. I enjoy films, but this is different...I get to watch films AND help make a difference in people lives. It's also, in turn, made an impact in my life as a result. The Festival made me more aware of what global peace is; ranging from finding ones inner peace to young children living with exposure to radiation in Japan. I invite friends to join me every year, hoping they're impacted in the same way as I and that they'll spread the information out to their networks. It’s also sparked an interest in my family getting move involved locally. The documentaries are insightful, impactful and make you want to get involved. It brings together a diverse group ranging from young to old in four days through various channels – art, film and discussion. It draws together local resources to assist those who wish to get involved and start right here in their own community; while also providing global resources. They also provide an online Festival of short films during the same timeframe for those who live outside of the region and cannot attend. I'm a fan and will continue to follow the Festival for years ahead.
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The Global Peace Film Festival is more than a film festival and more than covers the variety of topics that encompass "global peace." It's about finding ones inner peace to helping children in Japan who are severely ill due to the radiation from the power plant destroyed during the tsunami a few years ago. The Festival also provides opportunities - if one wishes - to get involved in an issue that impacts them from seeing a film. It also allows for talk-back sessions with the filmmakers, producers and subjects if they're attending the festival.
It also sends those involved with the films into the Central Florida community to speak with students and other community groups throughout the days of the Festival as outreach. These are people who otherwise wouldn't know or be able to attend the Festival.
So as you can see, it's more than a film festival. The Global Peace Film Festival is a way to watch films, become educated, take action and do something more whether it's in ones very own community or across the globe. It's one of the most impactful events that I've ever been a part of. I encourage others to do the same and see how you can make a difference.
The Global Peace Film Festival is without peer in using such a powerful medium to provide such an array of insights into such a broad range of topics at such a reasonable price. The GPFF isn't about entertainment. It's about information. It's about motivation to action. It's about making our world better, one community at a time. Every resident of Central Florida should mark the dates September 18-24, 2017, on their calendars right now. And visitors to the region should make sure their trip coincides with those dates so they too can experience the GPFF.
What a privilege it has been over the last decade or so to work with the great folks at the Global Peace Film Festival. The extraordinary selection of films, combined with the many opportunities for community interaction, and the inspiring direction of the organization in regard to its "don't just sit there" campaign all combine to help create a world-class film festival designed to engage people to help create a better community and world. It has been a privilege for our organization to partner throughout the years with GPFF.
GPFF impacts lives and hearts through the sharing of films and other visual art. Through a partnership, our organization watches as hearts ignite toward a global perspective. Individuals rise from the audience to become world-changers after viewing a moving documentary on an issue at large in the world. Poverty, Slavery, Gender equality and more are given an audience through this annual experience. GPFF changes lives and as a result, raises up warriors to end suffering globally. An amazing mission!
Global Peace Film Festival programs films on important topics that are hard to find anywhere else. It is a great opportunity to enjoy them together, talk about the topics, listen in on panels that make us think as well as feel. An informed public makes better local and world citizens. It's a gem and that's why I'm a part of it!
The Global Peace Film Festival has put on one of my favorite events in the greater Orlando area every year I have lived in the city! They consistently offer insights and views into some of the most compelling and complex issues of our times through the films shown at the festival. I was so impressed with GPFF's efforts that I joined their board of directors! The Global Peace Film Festival helps bring unique perspectives and stories to light in the name of creating a better world.
This was my first time attending The 2016 Global Peace Film Festival. The events of the festival totally exceeded my expectations. There were so many choices regarding films and forums with a wide range of interesting and enlightening topics and issues. I loved the Enzian Theatre & Cafe event where "Love is Strange" was shown. Most impressive was that the Executive Director, Nina Streich, was able to get John Lithgow to film a special message about the festival before the movie was shown. The Mad Cow Theatre featured a live one-man show, "Bearing Witness", by Tom Bird. I believe it was the first time the festival has offered a live play and it was powerful and impressive. I also loved the Orlando schools arts competition awards held at City Hall. The artwork from such young talent was outstanding. I highly recommend attending this festival for an enriching experience and I hope to return again next year.
I was invited to the Global Peace Film Festival with my film 'Under the Same Sun' (Ek Surya Ke Taley). It is a very important festival with beautiful and meaningful films that educate, captivate and inspire audiences to take action. The festival is very well organized and gives filmmakers an opportunity to meet like-minded artists who care about creating change in our world. Orlando is very fortuante that Nina and Kelly have dedicated so many hours to create a festival that is making difference in the lives of its citizens.
This was my second year at the festival and I cant express enough how great of an opportunity I get every time I get to interact with the community of Orlando, Fl. Great great job, Till next year!
Famor
Our film CARE, which explores home-based elder care from the perspectives of both care workers and their clients, was featured at the 2016 Global Peace Film Festival. I was able to attend through support from the festival and I had a great experience. The festival organizers, Nina and Kelly, had done impressive advance work to engage participants from local aging -related organizations and as a result the discussions following both screenings were rich and productive. I made valuable connections, one of which has lead to the film being featured in a national conference in 2017. I appreciated how the tireless staff and volunteers not only managed a multi-faceted event with skill and grace, but also created a warm and welcoming atmosphere for the visiting filmmakers. I think GPFF provides a wonderful service to Orlando and gives social issue filmmakers a fine venue to share our work. Thanks for the opportunity to share my experience.
I enjoyed the full range of experiences at the Global Peace Film Festival. The films were deeply moving, fulfilling the need for visionary solutions to real humans needs in our society. The conversations and social events were exhilarating and filled with inspiring people. I was impressed with the board members and their commitment to the festival. Overall, I left Orlando touched and inspired by the filmmakers, the organizers, the staff and the board at the GPFF.
This was the first festival we had the opportunity to attend and we were not disappointed. Nina and Kelly care deeply about the filmmakers and each of the films, which is something not all festivals have. Our first screening was amazing. It was packed and we were answering questions for almost an hour. The festival creates the space in which these important discussions can be had. The interaction with other people who may or may have a lot of knowledge about the issue is valuable for the filmmakers, the audience and ultimately for society.
For the second time in four years I have
been invited by the leaders' of The Global
Peace Film Festival to have my film
The Nuclear Requiem be.a selection in the
2016m GPFF. The dedication by Nina Streich and Kelly DeVine creates an environment for the important and challenging stories to be told, such as my topic..the continuing. Present of nuclear weapons.
Robert E Frye, Producer and Director
maria c 11/24/2012
Thanks so much Rachel!