1ST ANNUAL PUYALLUP RIVER FILM FESTIVAL

DECEMBER 5, 2013
6:30-8:30 pm
Carwein Auditorium (Keystone Building)
University of Washington Tacoma
directions on http://www.tacoma.uw.edu/campus-map

With support from The Russell Family Foundation, University of Washington
Tacoma faculty, staff and students wrote, produced and filmed an original
documentary entitled "Water Undone: The Efforts to Save the Puyallup River
Watershed." The documentary premiered to a sold out crowd in 2010 and has
received continued interest and momentum with local educators,
environmentalists and community members ever since.

The film takes viewers on a trip through the Puyallup River Watershed
exposing us to the many ways we use and benefit from the river, including:
drinking water, irrigation, recreation, food, wildlife and of course its
natural and iconic beauty. However, it also exposes us to some of the ways
the watershed is being threatened, as well as the many efforts among
community leaders and members to protect it. For a free copy of the
documentary please fill out the online request form at:
https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/jimgawel/114626

The film’s ripple effect is spreading even further in 2013 through a
community film contest and festival organized by UWT Professor Jim Gawel
(also the documentary’s director). Gawel is inviting everyone located or
working in the watershed to submit two to three-minute videos related to
issues affecting the Puyallup River and its tributaries. Entries will be
screened at the 1st Annual Puyallup River Film Festival, a fun event open
to the public on December 5th, at the University of Washington Tacoma. The
audience at the Film Festival will choose the winners in multiple
categories and winning films will be made available to the public online
on the Puyallup River Outreach Project webpage.
http://puyallupriver.org/be-a-proper/film-festival/

Categories include:
Middle schools
High schools
Colleges/universities
Non-profit organizations
Government organizations
Individuals (Open)

Please join us for the fun!!!

Last minute entries must be delivered by December 4, 2013, to:
Jim Gawel
University of Washington Tacoma
1900 Commerce St.
Campus Box 358436
Tacoma, WA 98402
jimgawel@uw.edu

Congratulations to the winning filmmakers at the 1st Annual Puyallup River Film Festival.  The Festival, held December 5th at the University of Washington Tacoma, drew a wonderful audience from government agencies, non-profit organizations, schools, the Festival’s gracious sponsors The Russell Family Foundation, and others interested in what is going on in the Puyallup River Watershed.

You can view the winning videos and select other submissions on the Puyallup River Outreach Project webpage: http://puyallupriver.org/be-a-proper/film-festival/

The evening started with a social meet-and-greet over wine and noshes.  The audience then filed into the theater to watch 16 short films submitted for the Festival with many of the filmmakers attending.

Films were submitted by a wide range of filmmakers, ranging from Pierce County’s Office of Sustainability to Lincoln High School's Lincoln Center to the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission to Friends of Fennel Creek to Washington State University’s Puyallup Research and Extension Center.

Each audience member received a ballot and picked the best submissions in four categories: (1) high school student, (2) college student, (3) government agency, and (4) non-profit organization.  In addition, the audience selected a Grand Prize winner from across all categories.  Votes were tallied after the event and the winners are (drum roll please…):

High School Student Category
Brandon Hendricks (School of the Arts) for his film Citizens for a Healthy Bay

Non-Profit Organization Category
Jerome “JD” Davis (Wayout Kids) for his film Rodney Raccoon Goes Green

College Student Category
Tiffany Degenstein, Jacqueline Hernandez, James Moore & Lauren Reetz (University of Washington Tacoma) for their film The Importance of Salmon Conservation in the Puyallup River Watershed

Government Agency Category
Joy Rodriquez, Nicole Sanchez, Jeremy Acree & Gregg McClellan (City of Puyallup) for their film Puyallup Riparian Stream Planting

Grand Prize
Jerome “JD” Davis (Wayout Kids) for his film Rodney Raccoon Goes Green

Honorable Mentions:
Laurie Larson-Pugh (Washington State University, Puyallup Research and Extension Center) – Ducks Run Amok
Donny Glaser (University of Washington Tacoma) – Sound Citizen
Ryan Dicks (Pierce County Office of Sustainability) – 10 Tips for the Puyallup River
Emmett O’Connell (Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission) – White River Chinook Transfer
Emmett O’Connell (Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission) – White River Salmon Delay Study

Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all those who took the courage to submit their films!  The Festival’s organizers at the Puyallup River Outreach Project (Jim Gawel, Chelsie Strowbridge, Brenda LeMay and Megan Kogut) wish to thank The Russell Family Foundation for their support, and BrieAnna Bales and Paul Lovelady at the University of Washington Tacoma for help in hosting the event.

We look forward to seeing you all next year at the 2nd Annual Puyallup River Film Festival! For assistance in getting started making your own short film to submit next year, please email the Puyallup River Outreach Project at waterundone@gmail.com. If you need, we have video cameras you can borrow, and editing software is free on the internet. We will even visit you onsite to provide technical assistance or to discuss your ideas!

Get out and film your Puyallup River Watershed!!!

James E. Gawel, Ph.D.
Assoc. Prof. of Environmental Chemistry and Engineering
Environmental Science and Studies
Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Program
University of Washington Tacoma
1900 Commerce St
Campus Box 358436
Tacoma, WA 98402
Phone: 253-692-5815
E-mail: jimgawel@uw.edu