Virtual Production: Sustainability in Virtual Production | Talk with Rhoda N. Wainwright | AVENUE

How can the film and television industry reduce its environmental impact, and what role does storytelling play in driving sustainable change? In this AVENUE Talk, Rhoda Wainwright joins host Silke Hassreiter to explore sustainability in virtual production and the wider audiovisual industry, from environmentally responsible production practices to the influence of storytelling on cultural attitudes and behaviours. As co-founder of Mrs Greenfilm Rhoda has helped more than 200 productions across Europe and Latin America reduce their environmental impact. She reflects on the industry's initial resistance to sustainable practices and how attitudes are gradually changing. The conversation also explores how writers and showrunners can normalise sustainable behaviours through storytelling, influencing audiences through the characters, choices and everyday habits represented on screen. The conversation explores: Sustainability in virtual production and filmmaking Reducing the environmental impact of audiovisual productions Overcoming resistance to sustainable industry practices The role of writers and showrunners in shaping cultural narratives Embedding sustainable behaviours into storytelling Building a more environmentally responsible creative industry For students, educators and creative professionals, this conversation offers insight into the shared responsibility of developing sustainable production practices and the influence creative storytelling can have beyond the screen. ------ About Rhoda Wainwright Rhoda N. Wainwright is a screenwriter, director and sustainability advocate with over 20 years of international experience across film, television, publishing and advertising. She is co-founder of Mrs. Greenfilm, a pioneering audiovisual sustainability consultancy, and **Fiction Changing the World**, an initiative promoting fiction with a sustainable and transformative perspective. Her career includes collaborations with filmmakers such as Oliver Stone and Paul Greengrass, alongside directing work selected at more than 40 festivals. Her creative practice explores identity, belonging, freedom and the potential of storytelling to influence social change. About AVENUE This talk is part of **AVENUE**, a European Centre of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) co-funded by the European Union, connecting education and industry across Animation, Games, Virtual Production, XR and Visual Storytelling. AVENUE supports vocational excellence, lifelong learning and future-ready creative skills through applied research, training and international collaboration. Explore AVENUE CoVE: https://www.avenuecove.eu/