March 2, 2023
On its 18th edition, MICE – the Museum of Galician People’s International Ethnographic Film Festival continues to be a differentiated film festival that relies on ethnographical and anthropological explorations and humanity’s social and cultural aspects. It is thus essential for MICE to take action toward the achievement of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. For the last few years, MICE has been working to keep up with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development –a plan of action for people, the planet, and prosperity. This year, MICE celebrates its 18th anniversary –the age of majority in our country, Spain– by renewing its long-standing commitment to sustainability.
MICE’s plan of action includes the following:
SDG 4: quality education. At MICE, we are aware of the power of cinema and its creative tools in the sociocultural development of people, especially the youth. In this 18th edition, MICE Petís [MICE’s program for young viewers] offers a new pilot program to help young learners discover the basics of ethnographic filmmaking. Monitored by the Museum of Galician People’s DEAC [department for education and cultural activities] in collaboration with emerging Galician filmmaker Bruno Arias, students from three high schools and a sociocultural center in Santiago de Compostela will participate in the process of creating an audiovisual work that will channel their perspective on their own ever-changing culture and traditions. The resulting pieces will be screened during the festival.
As in previous editions, MICE invites Galician schools, high schools, and education centers to partner with the festival by screening a selection of films from MICE’s 18-year-old archive. We aim to promote cinema as a tool for knowledge, creativity, and expression for young people.
SDG 5: gender equality. Gender equality is a basic premise of MICE. In this 18th edition, 90% of MICE’s organizers are women, led by a woman director, Ana Estévez Lavandeira. 50% of the featured filmmakers are women, and for another year, the festival is devoting an entire section (Impropias) to ethnographic films made by women filmmakers. This adds to MICE’s long-standing commitment to inclusive, non-discriminatory language.
SDG 12: responsible consumption and production. MICE renews its commitment to a circular economy: reduce, reuse, and recycle. The festival has reduced to zero their usage of single-use plastics and utilizes 100% cotton eco-friendly reusable bags. MICE’s plan of action toward sustainability includes favoring recruiting local workers, which applies to their organization and their external collaborations.
Pacto Cultura Sustentable [Galician agreement for sustainable culture]: MICE, which co-signed the Galician agreement for sustainable culture promoted by the association of Galician festivals, has put into place several initiatives to improve accessibility and promote universal access to events. MICE offers the possibility to reserve seats and tickets for people with reduced mobility. MICE’s team is at the service of people with special needs –we are ready to help you make the most of our festival, which intends to be an event where everyone is welcome.
