Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, is sponsoring two “green” films at this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival, October 11-20. The company is supporting the films as part of an effort to raise awareness of the growing challenge of waste management, pollution and its impact on the planet. The two films are Polluting Paradise and Trashed.

In addition to sponsoring the films, Masdar will host a private screening of Trashed, a documentary film about the ever-increasing global problem of waste and overflowing landfills. The private screening will be joined by the movie’s director Candida Brady, and will be held at the Emirates Palace. The event will also include a question and answer session between the director and students and faculty from the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology – the Middle East’s first graduate research institution dedicated to renewable energy and clean technologies. The movie features Academy Award-winning actor Jeremy Irons.

Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, director of sustainability at Masdar, said: “Masdar is pleased to support this important contribution to Abu Dhabi’s cultural calendar. The Abu Dhabi Film Festival is an excellent opportunity to educate the public about sustainability in an informal setting. We always welcome creative platforms like these to engage the community on the critical sustainability topics that shape our future.”

“We are proud to once again be sponsoring sustainability-focused films at this year’s Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Sustainability is in the DNA of Masdar, so educating and engaging the public on the key sustainability elements – social, economic and environmental – is closely aligned with our mission,” added Dr. Al-Hosany.

By raising awareness about the key challenges of waste and sustainability, the Masdar-sponsored films will help set the tone for the upcoming Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), taking place January 13-17, 2013. The event will attract an anticipated 30,000 participants from 150 countries to Abu Dhabi for what will be the largest gathering on sustainability in the history of the Middle East. ADSW will provide a platform for leaders to address the business, technology and financial challenges required for sustainable development and consider investments and partnerships that can deliver real world solutions.

For more information about Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, visit: www.abudhabisustainabilityweek.com>

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