DISNEYNATURES JEAN-FRANCOIS CAMILLERI TO OPEN BLUE OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL
WITH SCREENING OF EARTH AND SNEAK PEAK OF FOOTAGE FROM UPCOMING OCEANS
Blue Ocean Film Festival | Savannah | June 10-14, 2009
Walt Disney Studios Disneynature will open the inaugural BLUE Ocean Film Festival with a screening of its first theatrical release, EARTH, which set box office records for a documentary (other than concerts) when it opened on Earth Day, 2009. This screening, however, comes with unique insight as Jean-Francois Camilleri, executive vice president, Disneynature, personally shares the vision of the new Walt Disney Studios label with this first time gathering of ocean filmmakers, broadcasters and conservation leaders from around the world. Camilleri will also reveal a glimpse of spectacular footage from Disneynatures upcoming OCEANS release, due to hit theatres on Earth Day, 2010. The Disneynature presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10th at 8:00 p.m.
Prior to launching Disneynature, Camilleri developed local co-productions and acquisitions for Disneys Buena Vista International (BVI) in Paris which included the Academy Award®-winning March Of The Penguins. Camilleri began his career in France with Warner Bros. International, joining Disney and BVI in 1990, working in the U.S. for a period, before returning to his native France.
The first film in the Disneynature series, EARTH, narrated by James Earl Jones, tells the remarkable story of three animal familiespolar bears, elephants, and whalesas they make their amazing journeys across the planet we all call home. EARTH combines rare action, unimaginable scale and impossible locations by capturing the most intimate moments of our planets wildest and most elusive creatures. Directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, the acclaimed creative team behind the Emmy Award®-winning series Planet Earth, have combined forces again to bring this epic adventure to the big screen.
This special event has limited seating and will be open only to industry festival delegates and community festival patron pass holders. Patron passes are available now through
This new development provides one more reason for ocean filmmakers from around the globe to travel to Savannah next month, explained Debbie Kinder, founder of BLUE. There is great ¬interest in Disneys vision and our festival will offer a platform for Disneynature to share that vision with the industry.
Disneys participation underscores the global reach of this new, Savannah based film festival, which has drawn support from ocean leaders around the world. In addition to providing a stellar opening night experience, Disneynature has committed as a sponsor of the festival.
Through its industry awards competition, BLUE will bring to Savannah the worlds greatest collection of ocean films and filmmakers. The festival will screen over 50 finalist films. We hope the visibility that follows the Disney brand will help us reach larger, more diverse audiences with these magnificent documentaries, commented Mari Carswell, a Savannah resident who is Advisory Board Chairman and co-founder of BLUE. Carswell adds, The response to EARTH clearly demonstrates the power of film to engage people in caring about the future of our planet, over 70% of which is covered by our oceans.
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About Disneynature Disneynature, the first new Disney-branded film label from The Walt Disney Studios in over 60 years, was launched in April 2008 to bring the worlds top nature filmmakers together to share a wide variety of wildlife subjects and stories with theatrical audiences. EARTH, the first film to premiere domestically under the new label on Earth Day 2009, garnered a record-breaking opening weekend for a nature documentary. Walt Disney was a pioneer in wildlife documentary filmmaking, producing 13 True-Life Adventure motion pictures between 1949 and 1960, winning 8 Academy Awards (R). For more information about Disneynature, go to: www.disney.com/nature.
About BLUE Ocean Film Festival BLUE Ocean Film Festival is a global film and conservation event founded to promote, honor and share films that inspire people to protect or oceans and the life within. BLUE will simultaneously host an Industry Festival, which will draw ocean filmmakers from around the world, and a Savannah Community Festival; June 10-14, 2009 in Savannah, Georgia. Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary, located just off the coast of Savannah, is host sponsor for the event. Following the festival, the Georgia Aquarium and National Marine Sanctuaries, both sponsors of BLUE, will host BLUE on Tour in their respective locations, reaching 16 major U.S. cities. For more information on BLUE visit www.bluefilmfest.com. Tickets for the general public are available through www.scadboxoffice.com.
BLUE Ocean Film Festival is presented by Make A Difference Media (MADM), a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to using the power of film to make a positive impact on important global issues. MADM is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. For more information visit www.makeadifferencemedia.org.