Best of Fest February 28 at Weinberg Center in Frederick

Download PDF of  press release with photos.

The American Conservation Film Festival presents its first Best of Fest of 2015!   Best of Fest returns to the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD, after very well-attended screenings there in 2013 and 2014. This year’s event will feature live music, three films, and two topic experts on river ecology and habitat.

 Line-up for February 28 at The Weinberg:
6pm - Reception with music from Randy “Windtalker” Motz, a multimedia show set to the haunting sounds of Native American Flute.
7pm – ACFF 2014 Audience Choice Award Winner “DamNation,” chronicling America’s history of dam construction and efforts to remove obsolete dams to allow rivers to come back to life. 94 minutes. This compelling, informative, and entertaining film has received wide acclaim and multiple awards for excellence in documentary filmmaking. More info at http://damnationfilm.com.
Discussion to follow with Jim Thompson, Fish Passage Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service and Serena McClain, Director of River Restoration at American Rivers.
Brief Intermission & Drawing of Gift Certificates
9pm – ACFF 2014 Student Award Winner “We Are The Land.” Amidst national controversy surrounding the potential dangers of ‘fracking,” environmental activist Pauline Matt stand alone to protect her native homeland, the Blackfeet Reservation of northern Montana.  14 minutes
9:15pm – “Sticky” is a delightful animated short film that tells a positive Australian conservation success story, celebrating the persistence of life, the adventure and passion embedded in science, and the little creatures underfoot.  20 minutes.

Tickets are just $7 for adults; $5 for seniors/students/military members and are available on the Weinberg’s website at http://www.weinbergcenter.org/8046/american-conservation-film-festival-best-of-fest-2/ or at the door.

Best of Fest gives the American Conservation Film Festival the opportunity to take a sampling of what the annual film festival offers in Shepherdstown to other communities in the region. Best of Fests have been held in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia over the past several years.

This Best of Fest is sponsored by Flying Dog Brewery.

AND we’ll have drawings for gift certificates from these fine Frederick businesses: The Trail House, The Orchard restaurant, and MOM’s Organic market.
Musical performance donated by Randy “Windtalker” Motz and photography services donated by Ivan Petrov Creative Photography.

ACFF is grateful to these businesses and the Weinberg Center for the Arts for their support!

       

 

 

Info on Best of Fest Special Guests
Acclaimed recording artist, Randy “Windtalker” Motz presents “The Windtalker Experience,” a multimedia show set to the breathtaking and haunting sounds of Native American flute. “Windtalker’s” distinctive style blends flute with lush orchestration and Native percussion, set against a backdrop of dramatic photos from the Southwest, taken by his wife Georgia Harris.

Serena McClain is a Director of River Restoration at American Rivers and has worked in the river restoration field for more than thirteen years, focusing largely on dam removal planning. McClain works with regional and national stakeholders to demonstrate how to enhance safety, quality of life and economic development by restoring the natural function of rivers and utilizes her communications expertise to ensure that local communities and key decision-makers are aware of the opportunities available to them and are equipped with the tools necessary to aid them in those decisions.

Jim Thompson is the Fish Passage Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Service.  Since 2004, Jim has been coordinating with Federal, State, and local governments, as well as NGO’s and private landowners to identify and prioritize dams and other stream blockages that inhibit the up and downstream migration of fish.  Once priority projects have been identified, Jim helps secure grant funding and assists in the construction of fish passages or removals to ensure adequate passage for migratory and resident fish species.

About the Weinberg Center for the Arts
The Weinberg Center for the Arts is one of the region’s premier performing arts presenters offering film, dance, music, theatre and family-focused programming. Located in the historic Tivoli movie theater building in downtown Frederick, Md., events are made possible with major support from the City of Frederick, Maryland State Arts Council, Ausherman Family Foundation, and other corporate and individual donors.

Press Contact:
Jennifer Lee, ACFF Development & Communications Director
     Phone: 540.539.6150