Screen International is profiling all the winners of the third Global Production Awards, which were held tonight (May 19) at the Mademoiselle Gray Barriere in Cannes.

Craig Gainsborough (Greenlit)

Craig Gainsborough

Impact Leadership award 

Winner: Craig Gainsborough, Greenlit (New Zealand)

This new category recognises an individual who has made a positive impact on the world of film and tele­v­ision production through championing areas such as diversity and sustainability, and spearheading initiatives that have benefited the industry and improved how it works.

The winner of the hotly contested category is Craig Gainsborough, founder of Greenlit, an industry-led non-profit organisation that supports the screen sector in Aotearoa (the Māori name for New Zealand) with environmentally sustainable production practices.

“The screen industry is a vital part of Aotearoa New Zealand’s culture and brand, but so is caring for

Papatūānuku [Earth Mother] and the Whenua [land], which sustains us,” said Gainsborough, whose organisation brings together screen industry professionals, government agencies and Māori perspectives to drive sustainability change through a shift in culture. Contributors include Women In Film & Television and Libby Hakaraia (from Māoriland), among others.

One judge said: “Craig’s leadership through Greenlit has created real structural and cultural change in New Zealand’s screen sector. His bicultural approach and focus on sustainability infrastructure reflect true leadership with long-term vision.”

Another judge noted that Gainsborough’s submission was “powerful and yet very personal,” adding “the impact the candidate created and the organisations that were brought together to sustain the project are remarkable.” Another judge was impressed by the fact Gainsborough is working to drive a systemic change across New Zealand’s industry — “respectful to the current urgency of a sustainable environment, and to culture and values.”

Nominees:

  • Adam Mosey (NBCUniversal Studio Group, US)
  • Babita Bahal (Fremantle, UK)
  • Bavi Yassin (Kurdistan Film Commission Slemani, Iraq)
  • Katie Bailiff (Women In Film & TV, UK)
  • Linn Rott (Evergreen Prisma, LAFC & the Department for Art and Culture Lower Austria, Austria)
  • Zoe Ramushu (Wrapped, South Africa)

Click here for all the GPA winners

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