Announcing the "Maritime Film Festival: Tradition at the Crossroads" at Stony Brook University’s Student Activities Center.
Contact: Barbara A. Branca, NYSG Communications, 631.632.9124, Barbara.Branca@stonybrook.edu
STONY BROOK, NY, October 9, 2008 – On November 9, 2008, join Long Island Traditions and New York Sea Grant for their inaugural “Maritime Film Festival: Tradition at the Crossroads” at Stony Brook University’s Student Activities Center. Fifteen films that explore the region’s marine ecosystem will be featured during the festival, each followed by a panel discussion led by a marine biologist, a cultural ethnographer, a tradition bearer, stakeholder or another appropriate person such as a government official or advocate. Several New York Sea Grant staff will be in attendance: Dr. James W. Ammerman, New York Sea Grant’s new director will attend the afternoon sessions and NYSG marine fisheries specialist Antoinette Clemetson and Long Island Sound outreach coordinator Larissa Graham will participate in panels.
Filmmakers have long been captivated with maritime heritage, ecology and history, weaving stories of stoic baymen, endangered marine species, and personal experiences into compelling films. Yet many filmgoers do not fully understand the myths and perceptions of those who work on the water, fish recreationally or enjoy the natural coastal environment. And sometimes the message conveyed lacks a scientific basis or ignores the perspective of stakeholders that are directly being impacted by these issues. These varied perspectives should make for lively panel discussions.
Featured films will include Glenn Gebhard’s “Baymen,” which examines baymen in Great South Bay, George Pozderec’s “Jones Beach: An American Riviera,” “Crash: A Tale of Two Species” which describes the future of horseshoe crabs and red knots, “Gotham Fish Tales” which describes fishing in New York City, “In the Barnegat Bay Tradition” which focuses on duck boat builders and decoy carvers, the pilot episode of “The Deadliest Catch,” “Fisher Poets” and “Let’s Go Lobstering.” Guest presenters will include filmmakers Glenn Gebhard, George Pozderec, Tom Garber, NYSG Long Island Sound outreach coordinator Larissa Graham, traditional fishers Flo Sharkey, Ken Swaine, Bob Doxsee, Jim King and George Rigby, and poet George Wallace.
The cost is $15 per person for an all-day pass at the gate or for $12 if purchased prior to October 31. Discounts are available for students with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Long Island Traditions Web site www.longislandtraditions.org or by calling (516) 767-8803. Admission is free for all Stony Brook students, faculty and staff.
A complete listing of the day’s events and a synopsis of the films can be found at www.longislandtraditions.org or you can contact me (631.632.6956) if you have questions. Directions to the Stony Brook campus can be found at www.stonybrook.edu.
Through Long Island Traditions, this program is sponsored in part by the New York Council for the Humanities, the New York State Council on the Arts and Suffolk County Office of Film and Cultural Affairs.
New York Sea Grant, a cooperative program of the State University of New York (SUNY), Cornell University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sponsors research, extension and education programs to promote the wise use of New York’s marine and Great Lakes resources.
