Garbage Dreams: Green Drinks August Film Screening

What are the effects of Globalization on the small village on the outskirts of Cairo?

Join us this summer at Green Drinks 80th Film Screening event to watch the screening of Garbage Dreams at Haworth Furnitures Shanghai. 

Garbage Dreams is a film made in 2009, directed and produced by Mai Iskander. This film is a four year long story set in a village on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. The village is populated by a Coptic Christian Community called the Zaballeen , “garbage people” in Arabic. This village of 60,000 people maintains “what could be the worlds most efficient waste disposal system” in the world by recycling 80% of all the waste they collect. Most Zaballeens on the outskirts of Cairo have the daily job of recycling the waste that is dumped into their village.

(OUR CAIRO NEIGHBOORHOOD by Diminiana 11 years old)

This also marks the end of the month-long Plastic Four campaign that is being run by Green Initiatives to raise awareness on single-use plastic consumption, and encourage people to reduce commonly consumed plastic items i.e. straws, takeaway cups, plastic bottles and bags.

Please note that this film does not have Chinese subtitles.

Event Itinerary

• 18:30-19:00: Registration, drinks & networking
• 19:15-21:00: Garbage Dreams film screening
• 21:00-21:30: Discussions and Q&A / Networking

Event Guest - Jonathan Cruysberghs

Jonathan Cruysberghs (CEO) and Clement Saint-Ellier (COO) co-founded Feibao, an on demand waste collection service in Shanghai. Feibao started on an idea to optimize Waste Collection & Recycling; accelerating our transition towards a Circular Economy. The vision is to create awareness, change habits of people, and therefore create a more sustainable waste recycling process.
Clement has gained 6 years experience in the waste industry in Paris, Abu-Dhabi, Hong-Kong and Mainland China. Jonathan has 5 years experience in digitalization & IT in the waste industry in Mainland China.

Film Synopsis

The film follows three young men who have grown up in the village as Zaballeens. “I had to start working in trash when I was seven.” says one of the teenagers in the trailer. The film follows them through fours years as globalisation starts to threaten their villages way of life. Each boy must make important decisions regarding their futures and weather or not to stay in the village as Zaballeens or to go out into the world seeking another opportunity.

(Adham (17 years old), Osama (16 years old) , and Nabil (18 years old))