'Rock The Boat' At D.C. Film Festival
The California Landscape Contractors Association is pleased to announce the award-winning documentary "Rock the Boat" has been included in the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital, the largest U.S. environmental film festival.
Kayakers take a historic trip down the Los Angeles River.
The film will premiere Sunday, March 17, at 12:30 p.m. at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. It will be screened again on Friday, March 22, at 6:30 p.m. at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum.
CLCA is a sponsor and co-producer of "Rock the Boat," along with Lion’s Heart Entertainment.
Directed by Thea Mercouffer, the film is about the controversial tale of a group's 51-mile boating expedition down the cemented canals known as the Los Angeles River in 2008. The cement walls were originally built by the Army Corps of Engineers to move water away from Los Angeles to prevent flooding.
The group, organized by George Wolfe, lead kayaker and accidental environmentalist, defied local authorities and the Army Corps of Engineers hoping to have the EPA declare it a navigable river so that it could gain protection under the Clean Water Act.
http://youtu.be/MqJKQnMhT28
On July 7, 2010, the Los Angeles River was declared a navigable river by the EPA, which made it eligible for federal protection and funding under the Clean Water Act.
Since that time, Los Angeles has become one of seven cities chosen for a pilot project--the Urban Waters Federal Partnership--to revitalize polluted urban waterways. The program works with President Barack Obama's America's Great Outdoors initiative.
Also, California Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 1201 on August 28, 2012, which states that the river is a river, not just a flood-control channel. With the passage of SB 1201, the general public now has access to the Los Angeles River for recreational and educational purposes.
“We are so excited that the film has received so much attention and enthusiasm. Since the original kayak trip was filmed, the Los Angeles river story continues to unfold and the film is an inspiration." said Chuck Carr, CLCA president elect and former director of communications.
"The river’s future has so much potential, not only for recreation but also as a large contributor to the local water supply. CLCA is excited to be a part of this movie and we look forward to the continuing evolvement of the river.”
"Rock the Boat" was previously honored with the People's Choice Award at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in January 2012, the ISLA Earth Award of Merit for Environmental Filmmaking at the Catalina Film Festival in May 2012, and was the recipient of the Best Feature Film Award at the FILManthropy Film Festival in May 2012.
Wolfe, the lead kayaker in the film, was also recognized with the 2012 River Hero Award, by the River Network and WaterKeeper Alliance on May 7, 2012.
"Rock the Boat" is also scheduled to screen at two more locations: UCLA's James Bridges Theater on Monday, April 15, at 7 p.m. ( www.tft.ucla.edu/facilities/james-bridges-theater ) and the at the Warner Grand Theatre on Earth Day, Monday, April 22 in San Pedro, CA ( www.warnergrand.org ).
The documentary is available for purchase at The Video Project http://www.videoproject.com/rockboat.html . To find out more about the film, visit "Rock the Boat"'s website at http://www.rocktheboatfilm.com .
To purchase tickets to the Environmental Film Festival screening, go to www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org .
For more information about a screening or to become a Presenting Partner, please email contact@rocktheboatfilm.com.