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contest on one-minute films

The contest on one-minute films on health impact of air pollution and risk management

28/12/2023

The aim of the contest 

The aim of the film contest is to raise public awareness on :

  • health impact of air pollution
  • climate and environment impact of air pollution
  • health and climate co-benefits of preventing and reducing air pollution
  • how to prevent, prepare for and to address issues arising from air pollution episodes

The winning films of this competition will be used to raise awareness by the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health.

Background on the topics

Health and environment are strongly linked with one another, and human activities are the main source of harmful substances.

Air pollution for instance is detrimental for health in many ways and is a leading and aggravating cause of cardiovascular diseases. Even though air quality in Europe has improved over recent decades, the levels of air pollutants still exceed EU standards and the most stringent World Health Organization guidelines. Air pollution in the EU led to more than 307 000 premature deaths in 2019 mainly due to man-made emissions; and it is estimated that industrial pollution costed at least 233 billion EUR in 2017.  In Georgia, air pollution levels very frequently exceed EU and WHO guidelines (especially in Tbilisi and Rustavi, accounting for more than 1/3 of the Georgian population).

Successful communication approaches to policy makers and administrations should underline the importance of source apportionment, emission control of the sources, population weighted exposure as a guidance of the interventions, the importance of regional in addition to local policies, and the relevance of the co-benefits of other policies (e.g. climate mitigation). The public should be informed about the complexity of the issue and of the relative importance of the sources. Successful communication approaches to the public should include communication on local, personal, feasible actions that can be undertaken by individuals to mitigate air pollution and reduce their exposure to air pollution. People are motivated by a sense of self-efficacy and neglect hazards that they cannot reduce.

Key messages

Main sources of air pollution

In Georgia, ambient air pollution is mainly caused by emissions from construction sector, motor vehicles, the energy for residential (for heating and cooking especially combustion), industrial and agriculture sectors.

Source: INFORMATIVE INVENTORY REPORT OF GEORGIA 1990-2019, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Submitted under the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, 2021 (INFORMATIVE INVENTORY REPORT OF GEORGIA (air.gov.ge))

Source : Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture

Health impact

Tiny, invisible particles of pollution (PM 2,5, PM10, O3 and NO2) penetrate deep into our lungs, bloodstream and bodies. Globally, the UN estimates that these pollutants are responsible for about one-third of deaths from stroke, chronic respiratory disease, and lung cancer, as well as one quarter of deaths from heart attack. Ground-level ozone, produced from the interaction of many different pollutants in sunlight, is also a cause of asthma and chronic respiratory illnesses. Children are even more at risk due to their biological development. Emerging studies suggest that exposure to air pollution may be associated with cognitive impairment, with reported effects ranging from impaired neurocognitive development in infancy and childhood to higher rates of cognitive decline and dementia in later life

Climate impact

Air quality is closely linked to the earth’s climate and ecosystems globally. Many of the drivers of air pollution (i.e. combustion of fossil fuels) are also sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Policies to reduce air pollution, therefore, offer a win-win strategy for both climate and health, lowering the burden of disease attributable to air pollution, as well as contributing to the near- and long-term mitigation of climate change.

Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) are among those pollutants most linked with both health effects and near-term warming of the planet. They persist in the atmosphere for as little as a few days or up to a few decades, so reducing them can have an almost immediate health and climate benefits for those living in places where levels fall.

Source : GEORGIA’S LONG-TERM LOW EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, June 2023 (Strategic documents | Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (mepa.gov.ge)

Source : GEORGIA’S LONG-TERM LOW EMISSION DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, June 2023 (Strategic documents | Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia (mepa.gov.ge))

Society bears a high cost of air pollution due to the negative impacts on the economy, work productivity, healthcare costs and tourism, among others. Hence, the economic benefits of investing in air pollution control cannot be overestimated, and it must be understood that there is also an economic rationale to act and that cost-effective solutions exist to address air pollution.

Greatest health benefit is likely to happen when exposure reduction occurs in the long run, reducing risk of chronic harm. Providing recommendations to avoid or reduce exposure may not always be possible or even advisable depending on individual circumstances. However, modifying the location, timing, and type of outdoor activity can greatly modify pollution exposures since the levels of air pollutants vary both spatially and temporally.

In general

  • Find out about air quality and recommendations on air.gov.ge Air Quality 
  • Take care not to aggravate the effects of this pollution by the practice of other activities emitting polluting substances (tobacco consumption)
  • The situation during a pollution episode does not justify containment measures; Therefore, usual ventilation and ventilation practices should not be changed.

Who can participate in the contest?

All residents of Georgia, students and civil society organizations. It is possible to enter the contest as an individual or a team. All the entering contestants must be at least 18 years of age.

Conditions for the participation in the contest:

  • The video must focus on air quality  and the co-benefits for health and the environment/climate to fight against air pollution
  • The contestants must send a film that is animated and/or filmed. The storyline can be documentative, fictive or a hybrid
  • The film must be in Georgian with subtitles.
  • A film shouldn’t be previously published on any platform
  • The author must hold the copyrights of the film and all footage used in the film
  • If required, the author must present the permission of all the possible actors in the film (if necessary, the form of the contest letter will be provided)
  • The author must have the full right to use music in the film
  • Quality of the audio (voices and background music) and video
  • Film format – minimum HD quality, 1920×1080, mp4. The winning videos will also need to be edited to 1080×1080 format for social media advertising – keep this in mind when planning the compositions of the film.
  • Duration – Max 1 minute
    • Different short versions/messages of 15’sec for social media use
    • Working file for later editing by NCDC

More information about air pollution :

WHO materials : https://www.who.int/health-topics/air-pollution

10 Things To Know About Air Pollution (who.int) / Children and air pollution (who.int) / 10 ways you can fight air pollution (who.int)

Video : Engine Off Every Stop Short Film – YouTube ; Health benefits of reducing vehicle emissions in Europe – YouTube ; Battling South East Asia’s Air Pollution Woes: The Air Quality Improvement Program in ASEAN (AQIP) (youtube.com)

Which criteria will be taken into consideration for evaluation?

  • Film idea/ story
  • An angle of displaying the topic / the relevancy to the theme
  • Visual approach and form
  • Technical setup (audio and video quality)
  • The inclusion of one or more of the key messages presented in the brief

How to send a film?

The video should be uploaded on Youtube or Vimeo (UNLISTED) 

You can enter the competition by sending an informal email with your contact details and a link to the video to:

Antoine Pogorzelski: antoine.pogorzelski@expertisefrance.fr and

Dato Tsulaia :datotsulaia@yahoo.com

Use the title “one-minute film on air pollution” in the e email.

The video should contain a disclaimer at the end : This video was produced with the  financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the twinning project and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union

Logos : EUD, EF, THL, NCDC https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xbkq5HlKSXOhgCtKaXuXK1aaoda1hFI6?usp=drive_link

When is the deadline for submitting the film?

Deadline for submitting the film is 31st January 2024

What is the prize?

There will be two prices: 2000 EUR for 1st place and 1000 EUR for 2nd place.

How are the winners chosen and who will select the films?

Winners of the contest will be selected by the jury.

Winning films will be published on the web and social media pages of NCDC and/or (prospective collaborator)

The winners will be invited to the final seminar of the Twinning project where the films will also be presented.

It is not allowed to post a film on any other platform before the competition ends.

The authors of the winning videos will give NCDC all the rights to the video.

Jury members

  • 2-3 representatives from NCDC and Environmental Education and Information Center
  • 1 representative from possible cooperating media or other partners
  • 1-2 Twinning experts

Organizer

The National Center for Disease Control and Public Health and the European Union Funded Twinning project “Support the implementation of Health Impact Assessment practice in Georgia’. The twinning project is implemented by France and Finland.

For more information please contact us: Project sheet – Expertise France

Antoine Pogorzelski, RTA :

  • Tel : +995 551 115 754
  • Whatsapp : +995 551 115 754

David Tsulaia, RTA Language Assistant, Tel : +995 558 45 30 77