Sustainable film production: Mainz and Istanbul project started!

Sustainable film production: Mainz and Istanbul project started!

On March 8, 2025, it was announced that the Volkswagen Foundation is funding an innovative cooperation project between Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Koç University in Istanbul. This project is entitled “Against Screen’s Extractivism: Slow Production and Spectatorship” and is dedicated to sustainable film production and the associated audience awareness. The foundation is providing 250,000 euros over a period of 18 months to support the development of sustainable structures in the film industry.

The project aims to improve communication between researchers, activists and filmmakers in Germany and Turkey. Project manager Dr. Sezen Kayhan from JGU and her collaboration partner Prof. İpek Çelik Rappas from Koç University want to target the overproduction and overconsumption of films and TV shows, as these have been identified as the root of the problem. This critical reflection is crucial to promote sustainable film production that respects both natural resources and the resources of precarious workers and marginalized communities.

Next steps and workshops

A central element of the project are two planned workshops that will take place as part of the project. In November 2025, a three-day workshop will be held in Istanbul involving refugees, environmental activists, production professionals and researchers. Another workshop is planned for May 2026 in Mainz, where designs for future screen productions will be presented. This will be accompanied by an online exhibition presenting the results of the project in the form of films, posters, research contributions and political recommendations.

In order to raise awareness of the sustainability issue, binge-watching is analyzed from ethical and ecological perspectives. Due to the increased use of streaming services, especially since the introduction of platforms such as Netflix, viewer behavior has changed drastically. The way content is consumed has become more individualized and viewers experience less shared viewing. Experts emphasize that the design of streaming platforms encourages binge-watching, which leads to addiction and greatly influences consumer behavior.

The impact of streaming

However, streaming itself also has significant environmental costs. The energy consumption of streaming services is enormous. Streaming a film in 4K requires between 220 and 1000 watt hours. In 2018, Netflix alone consumed 51,000 MWh for streaming, which could cover the electricity needs of 49,000 to 94,230 households in Germany for an entire year. In total, the total global electricity consumption of video streaming is estimated to be 816,000 MWh per year, with CO2 emissions approaching that of international air travel.

The sustainability discussion surrounding streaming services is supplemented by recommendations such as using green electricity, reducing video quality or using streaming over fiber optic networks. These measures could help reduce the environmental footprint of streaming consumption. In view of these challenges, the new cooperation project calls for people to question their own consumption and adjust it if necessary.

The Volkswagen Foundation, which is committed to promoting new perspectives and research spaces, sees this project as an important step towards a more sustainable film industry. These initiatives raise awareness not only among viewers but also among filmmakers of the challenges of environmental sustainability.