Landscape Contractor Among Finalists of Rain Bird Film Competition

Rain Bird named the six finalists for The Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition, one of which is landscape contractor Mark Petersen of Denver.  The Intelligent Use of Water film competition is an environmentally focused competition that gives both amateur and experienced filmmakers the opportunity to showcase their talents and use the power of film to bring about a greater awareness of the need for intelligent water use in the face of a water crisis of global proportions.

A landscape contractor veteran of 31 years, Petersen owns Water Ketch, Inc., a sprinkler service company based in Denver.  Petersen described his short film, titled The Water Road, as a "heart and soul perspective" of the conflicts and challenges people in the irrigation industry face when implementing water conservation practices. 

The six finalists will be featured guests at a special screening event during The Intelligent Use of Water Summit VII on Oct. 13 at The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden in Los Angeles, Calif.  Two winners will be announced at the event and awarded cash prizes.  One winner will receive $6,000 for judges' selection and another winner will receive $3,000 for audience's pick.

This year's Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition finalists were selected by a panel of judges according to pre-determined criteria.  Criteria included creativity and effective communication of ideas to intelligently manage and efficiently utilize the Earth's most precious resource.  The finalists  are:

• A Drop of Life - filmmaker: Shalini Kantayya - Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Poop at the Zoo - filmmaker: Chris Popenoe - New York
• Would you Like Water with That? - filmmaker: Abigail Cole-Belnap - Henefer, Utah
• Carpa Diem - filmmaker: Sergio Cannella - Palermo, Italy
• Adventures of I Heart H2O Man! - filmmaker: Ethan Van Duzer - Boulder, Colo.
• The Water Road - filmmaker: Mark E. Petersen - Denver

Rain Bird also announced that Linda Adams, secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency and former director of the California Department of Water Resources, will be the event's keynote speaker as well as one of the five judges.

Joining Adams as film competition judges is a panel of environmental and film industry experts that includes:

• Gary McVey, executive director, American Cinema Foundation
• Lane Kneedler, programming coordinator, American Film Institute
• Amanda Pope, associate professor, University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts
• Robert Glennon, professor, University of Arizona's Rogers College of Law and author of Water Follies: Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America's Fresh Waters.

Tickets for The Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition screening event are $75 per person and are available through the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 626/821-3237. The evening's proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden plant conservation programs.