Relevant storyline, good acting, impressive pictures, quality lighting and sounds are not the only ingredients needed to produce a good film; the ultimate is the message it carries. These elements are on display at the ongoing Environmental Film Festival of Accra, organised by Creative Storm, a multimedia consortium which has put together over 50 films from around the world to raise awareness on environment issues in Accra. Last Friday, the festival, the third of its kind, was launched at the British Council hall in Accra, with a preview of the films, including two short ones made by children selected from schools in Accra. Both were shot in Accra; one at the heart of James Town and the other, across Accra. As a reward for supporting a worthy cause, the children were presented with plaques bearing a picture of Lamisi, Miss World With A Purpose, Miss Ghana 2005, and the festival’s logo. Kwesi Owusu, CEO of Creative Storm said prizes would be given the children later. Inviting the children onto the stage, he disclosed they had been taken through a workshop by the organisers. The workshop, he indicated, was used in shaping poems written by the children about the environment, which poems had been converted to scripts used for the films. According to him, the children were so talented in film making, they could go on to win great awards in the world, such as the Oscars. Briefing participants on the 10-day festival, Dr. Claudia D’Andrea, festival director, said this year’s presentation was a line up of award - winning films from film festivals around the world. This, she said, included films as An Inconvenient Truth (2006 Oscar awards), Bamako (FESPACO 2007 Social Awareness winner), The Hero (Sudanese film festival winner), and Witches in Exile (south by Southwest film festival winner) and many others. According to her, the films would be shown at various venues as Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Institut, Busy Internet and the last Saturday’s screening would be at Holy Gardens at Nkrumah Circle. Among films made in Ghana which would be screened, she said, were Sketch and Love: a film about Ghanaian contemporary artistes learning about the stigma of HIV and AIDS, Living Hiplife: about Ghana’s hiplife culture, Halleluja: a post-colonial trip featuring the Winneba youth choir and Ghana’s own Ghanaba, belting it out in a marvelous rendition of Handel’s hallelujah and the many others. As part of the activities, a debate on the theme: “Should Ghana Go Nuclear” was also held at the British Council yesterday, Tuesday, April 24. Source: Daily Guide