06.15.13
Welcome to the 2nd Annual Reel Water Film Festival! The Reel Water Film Festival is a non-profit event that is hosted by Journey’s Crossing Church, Mark Leisher Productions, and Bethesda Green. We take a two-fold approach to combat water issues both at home and abroad. First, we host this film festival to showcase films submitted from all around the world centered around the topic of water, invite organizations to set up exhibits for the festival-goers to learn more about how they can get involved, and hear from film directors and experts about various issues surrounding water. Second, we donate at least 50% of our proceeds to water projects in developing countries and right here at home. The rest of the money stays within the festival to continue on for years to come. Pretty cool, right? This year, our international project will be with a community in rural Southern India. They require assistance in getting water in a reliable way to a small medical center, school, and orphanage. Bethesda Green is planning our local project, which will be all about stormwater management. Please sign up on our mailing list to hear about the details after the festival! Through your generous donations, company sponsorships, and ticket sales, we are able to make a real, tangible difference in this world from right here in Montgomery County. Thank you for your support! Read more online at www.reelwaterfilmfest.org.
1:00 DOORS OPEN
All day, visitors are welcome to check out the new Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club, grab a drink and a snack, learn from our exhibitors about why water is a cause worth caring about, and check out the schedule for the day. There is no admission fee for this.
2:00 AFTERNOON SPLASH [$10]
This is a 2.5 hour screening of all the short films accepted to the festival, with a chance to meet some of the filmmakers afterwards. Films will be from one to 25 minutes and cover a wide range of water-related topics such as wild weather, storm water management, lack of access to clean water, innovations around clean water, and more. Film genres include animation, documentary, narrative, and claymation.
6:00 DINNER IS SERVED [$45 for Dinner & A Movie]
Enjoy a gourmet taco and fajita bar with grilled chicken, beef, veggies, and all the fixin’s*! Your ticket includes the buffet, non-alcoholic beverages, tax, tip, and Chasing Ice. *All of the meat and the corn tortillas are gluten-free.
7:15 FEATURE FILM “CHASING ICE” [$12]
Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet.
Bethesda Green is proud to co-host the 2013 Reel Water Film Festival. We congratulate all the filmmakers screening their work today. STAY TUNED for the 2013 Bethesda Green Gala, October 3, recognizing the region’s Green Award Winners at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.
At Bethesda Green, we connect community, strengthen our local economy, and inspire an environmental ethic through sustainable living practices. Come join us—together we are creating a greener, more vibrant community.
Celebrating 5 years promoting sustainable living | www.bethesdagreen.org
Anybody of Water Produced by Zoe Potkin Directed by Chloe Domont Anybody of Water is an educational campaign designed to mobilize citizens to protect our clean water and raise public awareness about the accelerating development of extreme fossil fuel extraction methods in the the U.S., in particular hydro-fracking (or hydraulic fracturing).
Abigail’s Song Produced and Directed by Eric Epperson For most people in the world, getting water is as simple as turning a faucet. But for one out of every eight people on the planet, water is scarce, dirty, and sometimes deadly. For years, the people of Ndola, Zambia in Africa struggled daily to find safe drinking water. That has now changed. Organizations and community leaders have begun to work to rewrite the song of despair. These people have started a movement that is sweeping Ndola. They know that if safe water can change the health of a child, it can change the fate of a nation. This story is one of many.
Black and Blue Produced and Directed by David Sipos This film explores the beautiful friendship between two young girls and the lake by which they met.
Drained: Urban Stormwater and Pollution Produced and Directed by Katie Campbell The Clean Water Act took effect 40 years ago Thursday. In 1972, stormwater pollution was nowhere near a top priority. Today, it’s taken the lead as the top water contaminator. How bad is it? Puget Sound diver Laura James takes us where nobody wants to go -- inside a stormwater outfall -- to get an upclose look.
Fracking Our Future Produced and Directed by Elizabeth Press and Branda Miller Geomicrobiologist Yuri Gorby returns to his childhood home of Bethany, WV, to give voice to people suffering from chemical exposure who live and work in the gas fields of PA, WV and OH. Realizing that scientific assessments take years to complete — time insufficient to avoid the environmental disaster unfolding before his eyes, Yuri teams up with a documentary film team, citizen action groups and medical, legal and government experts to shine light on those living amidst toxic gases and contaminated fluids within one mile of well pads, compressor stations, cryogenic separators, crystalline silica mines and transport stations.
Haleema Produced and Directed by Boris Schaarschmidt and Michaela Ullmann Blistering heat in the desert of Sudan. A pregnant mother and her two young children are on the search for water and safety from the ruthless Janjaweed militia. When the brother is too weak to continue, Haleema is sent by her mother to find water. A dangerous journey full of hope and despair begins.
FRANKENSTORM: From Across the East River Produced and Directed by John Mattiuzzi A visual and emotional account of the night that ended in the horrifying Con Edison explosion, darkening half of Manhattan’s skyline. This short form, experimental documentary hovers along the East River, at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn, where hundreds of spectators flocked to absorb the terrifying amusements of an approaching superstorm.
A Ride on the Wild Side Produced and Directed by Mark Leisher Productions Mark Leisher grew up in Maryland, spending his free time exploring, fishing, boating, and kayaking on the Potomac River. For the past 10 years, Mark has worked as a filmmaker in the Extreme Sports industry, traveling the world filming professional kayakers. In 2009, back in Maryland, Mark got involved with Team River Runner and quickly decided to become a steward of the Potomac River, and help protect its legacy for future generations of kayakers. Take a ride on the wild side with this Kayaking film!
“From The Field” -- Films from the Chesapeake Bay Program Produced and Directed by Steve Droter •
From the Field: Linking Land and Water in Brook Trout Conservation In the Chesapeake Bay watershed, no species connects healthy land and water resources like the cherished Eastern brook trout. In this short documentary, Natural Resource Biologist Jim Hedrick and Trout Unlimited project coordinator Dustin Wichterman show us how one keystone species, the Eastern brook trout, is helping farmers in West Virginia cope with stream bank erosion, and simultaneously meet water quality regulations designed to significantly reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
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From the Field: Monitoring Water Quality in the Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay is America’s largest estuary, with more than 17 million people living in its 64,000 square mile watershed. In order to gauge the immense environmental impacts of humans on this system, scientist continuously monitor and measure water quality in the Bay. The enormous amount of data they compile supports the Chesapeake Bay Executive Order, signed by President Obama in 2009, which calls on the federal government to lead a renewed effort to restore and protect the Bay and its watershed. This short film documents the efforts of one team from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science as they gather and analyze samples, explaining the importance of reducing nutrient pollution that harms the Bay ecosystem.
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From the Field: Building Rain Gardens With Youth in Howard County, Md. During the summer of 2012, the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay coordinated a pilot program with Howard County, Md. that hired young adults to build rain gardens on institutional properties across the county. Donald Tsusaki, project leader for the Alliance, and others involved with the project explain how it was started, how it works, and its numerous benefits to local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. As stormwater fees become a hot topic throughout the watershed, groups like the Alliance are providing a critical service to governments dealing with the costs of stormwater runoff. The READY program (Restoring the Environment And Developing Youth) not only help tackle this issue, but also is also creating a strong stewardship ethic through both its participants and benefactors alike.
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From the Field: Capturing Stormwater Naturally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania Lancaster, Pennsylvania is embarking on a bold twenty-five year plan to prevent 750 million gallons of annual stormwater runoff from entering the Conestoga River through it’s centuryold combined sewer system. Working with the urban greening initiative LIVE Green Lancaster, the city has implemented an array of outstanding green infrastructure techniques designed to capture and hold stormwater in order to help clean up local waterways and ultimately the Chesapeake Bay. This short film documents the city’s progress and highlights the green methods they’re using to achieve their goals.
Money in the Water Produced by Lauren Lesser Directed by Sawyer Broadley This film plays with Clean Water Future’s plan for funding specific water quality projects. It depicts dollar bills “swimming” upstream, off to encourage people’s care for their river. It’s also a fun trip through some aquatic systems of Vermont and New Hampshire. Clean Water Future is an innovative way to compensate and recognize landowners – and the natural services their lands provide. Learn more at www.CleanWaterFuture.org.
Potomac: The River Runs Through Us Produced and Directed by Peggy Fleming and Sean Furmage Each of us is connected to rivers in our everyday lives. Most of the six million people living in the Potomac River watershed do not realize that their drinking water comes from the Potomac. Since the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, the health of the river has improved. However, it is still in trouble and faces a number of serious threats: urban development, population growth and runoff from farms, pharmaceuticals and chemicals. The film follows the flow of the Potomac water from its origin, into our homes and businesses and back into the river. We become aware of the need to protect this essential resource and of how our wellbeing and that of future generations is intertwined with the health of the Potomac. Narrated by Chris Palmer, Director, Center for Environmental Filmmaking, American University.
Refresh Produced by Steve Leeper and Bryan Ballinger Directed by Sean Cruse An American business man goes through his daily routine, using water as a means to cleanse and hydrate. It is not until he receives a significant postcard that his eyes are opened to see beyond his own self and into the lives of people struggling to find a sanitary water supply. In Africa, a mother and daughter spend their day walking a long distance to reach a dirty watering hole that is also used by local animals. The poor quality of this water will eventually lead to the woman and child becoming sick. In the 21st century, no one should have to suffer in this manner.
Restoring America’s Salmon Forest Produced and Directed by Bethany Goodrich The Tongass National Forest is America’s Salmon forest, producing over a quarter of the countries salmon harvested each year. In Southeast Alaska, the Tongass is the lifeblood of the economy and communities. Decades of irresponsible logging have damaged over 70 salmonproducing watersheds in the Tongass which has imperiled the ecosystem and threatens the Alaska economy. But a new type of partnership between grassroots organizations like the Sitka Conservation Society and the USDA Forest Service is working to restore the Tongass back to the salmon-producing powerhouse it once was. Restoring America’s Salmon Forest, a film by the Sitka Conservation Society, tells the story of one such project.
Thank you, Merci, Tanimert Produced and Directed by Amman Imman: Water is Life The vast region of the Azawak of West Africa, spanning from Niger into Mali, suffers from permanent water scarcity affecting half a million people. Since 2006, nonprofit Amman Imman: Water is Life has been drilling deep boreholes that access the aquifer which starts at 600 feet. In this short film, the people thank Amman Imman for bringing water. Filmed in 2012 in the village of Ebagueye, Niger. This Is Normal Produced by Christopher Cotner Directed by Derek Watson This film weaves together 3 stories: Dick Greenly a successful Americanbusinessman; Petronella a mother of 8 in rural Zambia; and Jimmy Kamfwa a well-driller in Samfya, Zambia. Each are looking for a new life and find it through a hand-drilled well on an island in the middle of Lake Bangweulu. Under One Umbrella Produced by Jen Wechsler Directed by Ian Probasco A unique stormwater feature and community gathering space anchored by giant bronze umbrellas is the subject of Portland-based KPFF Consulting Engineers’ first Stormwater Cinema film short, “Under One Umbrella.” The focal point of the fountain’s design is four giant bronze umbrellas that were dreamed up by landscape architect Dean Christensen and developed by Michael Maiden of the Maiden Foundry in Sandy. Water City Produced and Directed by Martin de Thurah Water City is an impressionistic film showing the many ways that we as humans connect through water every single day.
Thirst Produced by Michaela Lentz Directed by Sam J. Queen 780,000,000 people across the globe do not have access to clean water. For these people, cholera and other waterborne diseases constantly threaten their lives. In May 2012, a group of engineers traveled to Malawi to find a solution to this problem for a community in need.
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In order to win the battle against infectious diseases that plague the developing world, we inform individuals and groups of the greatest challenge our world faces: the need for safe drinking water. We cultivate a greater understanding of how lacking accessible clean water threatens the very core of individuals, leading not only to the demise of their health, but also exhausting their time, energy, and financial potential. We fulfill our mission by creating a vocal platform built from athletic quests and/or grassroots campaigns that attract great interest and media exposure. www.activewater.org The Alice Ferguson Foundation’s mission is to connect people to the natural world, sustainable agricultural practices and the cultural heritage of their local watershed through education, stewardship and advocacy. The Foundation’s Trash Free Potomac Watershed Initiative seeks to develop and implement solutions to the great threat of litter in our communities and waterways, by working to have the institutions, infrastructure and policies in place to create a lasting reduction of litter in the Potomac Watershed. www.fergusonfoundation.org
Amman Imman: Water is Life is dedicated to helping some of the world’s most vulnerable and abandoned populations meet their basic needs, starting with water. Since 2006, we have constructed five borehole wells in Niger’s Azawak region. Each borehole well provides water for more than 25,000 people and their animals, including refugees that have poured into the area from Libya and Mali over the last year. We also bring food aid, livelihood, health and education programs to the region. www.ammanimman.org ClearWater Initiative is a unique U.S.-based 501(c)3 nongovernmental organization that strives to provide clean, potable water solutions to populations in need and educate the public about the importance of clean water. We currently promote simple, sustainable solutions for the provision of clean water in northern Uganda through technical excellence, responsible use of donor funds, collaboration with local communities and compassion for the needs of individuals overwhelmed by circumstances beyond their control. www.clearwaterinitiative.org
The Little Falls Watershed Alliance is an environmental stewardship group for Little Falls creek and surrounding nine square mile watershed. The flowing waters, natural spaces, and wildlife make our neighborhoods beautiful. However, the choices we make everyday impact their health and the sustainability of the creeks, the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay. LFWA’s mission is to protect this fragile environment and work to repair the water, restore the land, revive our woods and clean our parks. www.lfwa.org
Rock Creek
C O N S E R V A N C Y
Rock Creek Conservancy is a nonprofit group in Bethesda, MD, dedicated to protecting and restoring Rock Creek and its parkland, a green oasis in the heart of Montgomery County and Washington, DC. The Conservancy mobilizes thousands of volunteers each year for volunteer projects to protect Rock Creek. The Conservancy also empowers communities to work together for neighborhood-based environmental stewardship for Rock Creek. www.rockcreekconservancy.org
Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has grown from the pioneer U.S. land trust to one of the world’s most effective global conservation organizations. Our mission is to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Nature Conservancy works in 34 countries and all 50 states. Building productive partnerships with all sectors of society, we have protected 120 million acres of land, 5,000 miles of rivers and 100 marine areas around the world. www.nature.org Water For People helps the most impoverished people worldwide improve their quality of life by supporting sustainable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene projects. Our vision is a world where all people have access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and basic health services. The Washington, DC Water For People Committee works throughout the greater DC community to further the organization’s vision by promoting awareness of the need for potable water and sanitation. www.waterforpeopledc.org. Watershed Adventures of a Water Bottle tells the story of a water bottle’s journey in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and Atlantic Ocean. Upon reaching a storm drain, the personified water bottle travels the streams and rivers of Washington, D.C., meeting animals along its ride. Each animal—from the water strider to the loggerhead turtle— teaches the water bottle about itself, its origins, its journey, and those of other pollutants in the watershed. www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore
Connect. Communicate. Motivate. Accelerate. Celebrate. Annapolis Green fills a unique need, connecting the community by communicating an environmental message that is meaningful, positive and motivational, engaging residents, businesses, non-profits, government agencies, and visitors. Its goal is to make Annapolis the greenest city in Maryland—a place where sustainability is a way of life and a source of pride—by accelerating the work of the legions of dedicated environmentalists and celebrating successes. www.annapolisgreen.org GreenGaithersburg.com is a website that provides “news with an impact on your environment.” Green Gaithersburg is focused on environmental issues in the DC metro area and has contributors that provide a personal perspective on the environmental issues that DC metro residents are concerned about. www.greengaithersburg.org
GreenWheaton, Inc. is a Maryland non-profit dedicated to engaging the community in education and outreach that promotes Wheaton, Maryland as a model sustainable community with a “visibly green” and healthy environmental footprint. Our organization helps local businesses and residents learn more about going “green” in the Wheaton community and surrounding area. www.greenwheaton.org Poolesville Green is an independent, nonpartisan, 501c(3) focused on educating the public about sustainable living practices which families and individuals can implement today. Based in Poolesville, Maryland, the organization concentrates on topics primarily related to energy and water, encouraging conservation, raising awareness and highlighting available programs and resources. www.poolesvillegreen.org Silver Spring Green facilitates greater Silver Spring’s transition to a “next generation” green community, one characterized by innovation, collaboration and mutually beneficial partnerships. Using sustainability as both a primary goal and unifying principle, Silver Spring Green “connects the dots” among individuals and institutions, and across our richly diverse community. www.silverspringgreen.org
In the spring of 2005, National Geographic photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change and a cynic about the nature of academic research. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk. Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet. Within months of that first trip to Iceland, the photographer conceived the boldest expedition of his life: The Extreme Ice Survey. With a band of young adventurers in tow, Balog began deploying revolutionary time-lapse cameras across the brutal Arctic to capture a multi-year record of the world’s changing glaciers. As the debate polarizes America and the intensity of natural disasters ramps up globally, Balog finds himself at the end of his tether. Battling untested technology in subzero conditions, he comes face to face with his own mortality. It takes years for Balog to see the fruits of his labor. His hauntingly beautiful videos compress years into seconds and capture ancient mountains of ice in motion as they disappear at a breathtaking rate. Chasing Ice depicts a photographer trying to deliver evidence and hope to our carbon-powered planet. CHASING ICE is directed by Jeff Orlowski, cinematographer for the Extreme Ice Survey, and an award-winning filmmaker. A graduate of Stanford University, he has been working with Balog since 2007 and has shot over 300 hours of footage of EIS in the field. His work for EIS has screened on NBC, CNN, PBS, National Geographic, and hundreds of other venues around the world, including a multi-year installation at the Denver International Airport. More about the film and filmmakers at www.ChasingIce.com.
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A huge thank you to those individuals who have supported us either financially or through donating their time, talents, and wisdom. This festival would not be possible without you!
THE CORE TEAM OF VOLUNTEERES Tiffany Jones, Festival Director Mark Leisher, Programming Director & Co-Host Dave Feldman, Emcee & Co-Host Spencer Jones, Social Media Manager Mandy Pereira, Logistics Director Tim Momyer, Volunteer Coordinator Celene Di Stacio, Special Guest Liaison Shane Yeager, Editor
DONORS Heather and Devin Henderson James Mobley Sandy and Roger Pope Jill and Jim Wendlick Nicole Saari Kate Elliott Silver Spring Social Sports Anne Baldridge Nancy Scheld Jasmine Momyer Timothy Momyer Sr. Timothy Momyer Erin Momyer Dave Garner Amanda and Keith Pereira Tiffany and Spencer Jones Christina Bassett
VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORTERS Heather Henderson James Mobley Sumitra Shrestha Shane Yeager Susanna Parker The small group of Dick and Ola Sage Dave Heffernan The team at Bethesda Green All who attended our “Dance for Water�
Steve and Betty Matthews Stacy Boyles Candis Castorena Dick and Ola Sage Tippi Cogen James Dumpert Susan and Dave Evans Laura and Aaron Galvin John Halvorsen Brian Johnson John Roland John Ware Debbie and Tom Wisner Lauren Lanser
A HUGE thank you to the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Supper Club for their generous support of our event!