by rick grant & jon bosworth
At last weekend’s Film Festival, the St. Johns Riverkeeper premiered a new film titled Revenge of the River. This is a follow-up documentary to last year’s Green Monster, which was a wake-up call to save the St. Johns River from the toxic green slime that clogged the river during the summer of 2005. Since then, Mayor Peyton has pushed through a save-the-river initiative called Mayor’s Peyton’s River Accord, which would cost almost a billion dollars. Mayor Peyton has no idea where the money would come from–so his “Accord” is only an idea with no teeth.
To drive home this issue, the St. Johns Riverkeeper sponsored another documentary hosted by retired WJXT Channel 4 anchor, Debra Gianoulis, outlining the many problems in cleaning up the sick river. There are other complex socioeconomic issues in play, such as runaway development and the proposal to use the St. Johns River as a source of drinking water.
The film will make its television debut on WTLV 12 on Thursday, May 24, at 8 pm and it will replay Sunday, June 3 at 3:30 pm. Clearly, this is an important issue facing all the people of Jacksonville. Our river is one of our biggest assets and we are destroying it with polluted water run-off which contains nutrients that help grow the toxic algae. Today, the river is not safe to swim or water-ski in, and the solutions for healing the sick river involve everyone taking responsibility for water conservation and curbing polluted run-off.
EU: Is this the sequel to The Green Monster?
JO: Revenge of the River will begin by updating viewers about what has taken place since The Green Monster, but this time around we are not focusing exclusively on the nutrient pollution problem or the massive algae bloom of 2005. Revenge will raise awareness about other critical issues that are not being adequately addressed or even mentioned by elected officials and regulatory agencies, such as the rapid loss of wetlands, inadequate enforcement of our environmental laws, and unbridled growth. We are at a crossroads in the future of the river, and a paradigm shift is in order.
EU: What sort of work does it take to put together a feature of this nature? Do the cameras just follow Neil around or is the shooting scripted?
JO: We have once again partnered with PRC Digital Media to produce the Revenge documentary. Everyone involved has put an enormous amount of thought and energy into this project. The Riverkeeper and I help decide upon the content, the footage needed, the people we think should be interviewed, and the type of questions that should be asked. PRC Digital Media does the rest. They draft the interview questions and script for the host, conduct the interviews, shoot the location footage, and do the editing.
EU: How effective are these films in conveying the problem the St. Johns River faces?
JO: The Green Monster was really more successful than we ever imagined it would be in terms of the thousands of people that we reached and the level of awareness that was created about nutrient pollution and the impact of our yards on the health of the river. Nowadays, people are so visually oriented and film provides an excellent vehicle and medium for the transfer of important information and ideas. We think Revenge will really be an eye-opener for the public. It will help people understand how serious these problems facing the river are and the urgency for action. We hope this film will empower the people and help to facilitate positive change.
EU: How is the production for these films financed?
JO: St. Johns Riverkeeper is a privately funded, non-profit advocacy organization, so we must raise money from concerned citizens, businesses, and foundations, such as The Cummer Family foundation, for our operating budget and for special projects like this film. Fortunately, we have supporters who value having a full-time advocate representing the interests of the river and who understand the importance of educational projects, like Revenge of the River.
EU: Has the situation changed any since the release of The Green Monster?
JO: Unfortunately, our river is still sick today and has improved little, if any, since The Green Monster. However, awareness and concern are at an all-time high, and Mayor Peyton and some of the regulatory agencies have since drafted a $700 million restoration plan for the St. Johns, the River Accord. While the Accord is historic, in terms of the proposed spending, and it is certainly a good start, much of the funding has yet to be appropriated and will be up to the annual whims of the Florida Legislature. Also, the plan is not comprehensive in scope. The Accord is only one part of the recipe for restoration. We intend to outline the rest of the ingredients in Revenge.
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
