media contact:  David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Who:          The Rainbow Honor Walk 

What:        “Big Check” Presentation: $ 10,000 donation for Rainbow Honor Walk from Walmart’s LGBT PRIDE Associate Resource Group

When:        Monday, March 12: 11am 

Where:      Catch Restaurant.
                     2363 Market Street San Francisco

WHY: What a difference a tour makes! Kathy Amendola, owner of the renowned Castro Walking Tours, is known for her informative and passionate tours of San Francisco’s historic Castro District including the iconic Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org) of which she is a board member. After a recent tour, one of the attendees, Nathan Allen, approached her, moved by the history lesson he had just received. Allen, Co-Chair of the Walmart PRIDE Associate Resource Group, got to work. The result: a $10,000 donation for the all-volunteer nonprofit Rainbow Honor Walk.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that our PRIDE Associate Resource Group could help make this grant possible for the Rainbow Honor Walk,” said Allen. “This is such a fantastic organization, in how its honoring notable LGBT community members throughout history with sidewalk plaques in our beloved Castro neighborhood. Our company and our PRIDE ARG are committed to giving back to the communities we serve, and we couldn’t be happier to support the work of the Rainbow Honor Walk.”

When a volunteer committee of community members proposed the Rainbow Honor Walk, they received the unanimous support of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to create the sidewalk monument. Comprised of 3 foot x 3 foot bronze plaques embedded in the sidewalk, the Walk salutes the groundbreaking achievements of noted LGBT individuals throughout history. The first 20 honorees were announced in 2011. In 2012 the Rainbow Honor Walk board solicited design proposals from around the world.  An independent jury of artists and cultural leaders selected the winning design by architect Carlos Casuso of Madrid, Spain. The plaques were manufactured by Mussi Artworks of Berkeley, California with creative oversight of the process spearheaded by Lawrence Noble, head of the sculpture department at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. The first 20 plaques were installed in September 2014 with 8 additional plaques installed in November of last year. An additional 16 plaques are slated for inclusion by this year’s Pride Celebration.

The Rainbow Honor Walk will eventually extend from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy on 19th Street at Diamond down to Castro Street—the LGBT community’s “Main Street”—and will continue up Market Street with additional extensions on 18th Street. On Market Street, San Francisco’s main thoroughfare, the Walk will continue to the LGBT Center at Octavia Boulevard.

All funds for manufacture of the Rainbow Honor Walk are raised privately, with each plaque costing approximately $ 7000. A major source of income comes from the San Francisco Human Rights Campaign Action Center and Store (575 Castro Street) through the sale of commemorative mugs, t-shirts and lapel pins, which has generated over $20,000 for the Rainbow Honor Walk.

Individuals interested in contacting the Rainbow Honor Walk may do so by email at info@rainbowhonorwalk.org or by mail to Rainbow Honor Walk, 584 Castro Street, #113

San Francisco, California 94114.  Contact can also be made via Facebook by searching “Rainbow Honor Walk”. Information can also be found online, and donations made, through the Rainbow Honor Walk website at www.rainbowhonorwalk.org.

About Walmart:

Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) helps people around the world save money and live better – anytime and anywhere – in retail stores, online, and through their mobile devices.  Each week, over 260 million customers and members visit our more than 11,600 stores under nearly 60 banners in 28 countries and eCommerce websites. With fiscal year 2017 revenue of $485.9 billion, Walmart employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide.  Walmart continues to be a leader in sustainability, corporate philanthropy and employment opportunity.  Additional information about Walmart can be found by visiting http://corporate.walmart.com, on Facebook at http://facebook.com/walmart and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/walmart.

Media Coverage Request: Today, 2pm – Mayor Farrell & Kiel, Germany Leaders Salute SF Ocean Film Festival at Fort Mason

media contact:

David Perry (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

MEDIA COVERAGE REQUEST / FRIDAY, MARCH 9 – 2PM

WHAT:

15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival &

Kiel, Germany Ocean Film Festival Salute Partnership

WHO:

San Francisco Mayor Mark Farrell to speak

Additional Remarks By:

* Hanna Fleck, Kiel/San Francisco Sister City Committee

* Hans-Werner Tovar, President of the City Council of Kiel, Germany

* Ana Blanco, International Ocean Film Festival

* Till Dietsche, Kiel Ocean Film Festival

WHEN:

2pm, Friday, March 9

WHERE:

Cowell Theatre / Fort Mason: 2 Marina Blvd.

WEB:

www.oceanfilmfest.org

WHY:

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented on average over 50 films annually from 15 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, Festival International du Film Maritime, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.

Friday’s program features films from the Kiel Ocean Film Festival

Nonoy and the Sea Monster (Austria), Florian Kozak, 5 min

When his parents talk of the sea monster that is wiping out the fish they need for survival, Nonoy, their young and imaginative son, creates a weapon whose magic powers will take care of the beast for good.

The Amazing Lifecycle of the European Eel (UK), Sofia Castello y Tickell 4 min

A delightful stop motion animation featuring the European eel’s life cycle and unusal theories behind it. Did you know that the Romans kept them as pets and adorned them with jewelry? The oldest known European eel lived to be over 100 years old. Nowadays they swim to the Sargasso Sea to complete their life cycles.

Bon Voyage (Switzerland), Marc Wilkins, 21 min

A couple’s pleasant Mediterranean sailing trip is thrown into tension-filled turmoil by an encounter with refugees desperate to escape their violence-torn North African homelands.  In just 20 minutes, this powerful film puts us in the middle of a moral quandary.

Lionfish – New Pirates of the Caribbean (Germany), Ulf Marquardt, 52 min

The extraordinary lionfish festooned with numerous and strange appendages has long been a highlight for snorkelers and scuba divers in the Pacific Ocean where it has its place in the piscine pecking order. After it was thoughtlessly introduced into the Caribbean and the Atlantic, however, the lionfish took advantage of the lack of predators and its population skyrocketed. This is one fish you need have no compunction about eating.

media contact:

David Perry / (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Media Advisory:  Thursday, March 8

— International Womans Day Event

WHO:

Women Are Focus on Opening Day

at SF’s 15th International Ocean Film Festival

WHERE:

Fort Mason’s Cowell Theatre

2 Marina Blvd., San Francisco

WHAT / WHEN:

International Womens Day

Thursday, March 8

4pm

PROGRAM 1

She is the Ocean (Russia), Inessa Blokhina, 101 min.

Nine extraordinary women from all over the world — scientists, activists, surfers, divers —  share one thing in common: a deep love for the ocean. Their lives are shaped by and around the ocean which is their home, source of life, and the teacher they revere and worship.

8pm

PROGRAM 2 – Opening Night Party

Stars (USA), Han Zhang, 5 min.

A grandfather and his grandson sell stars on the street in a seaside town. One night their supply runs out, and the grandson embarks on a journey to fish for more stars.

Kim Swims (USA), Kate Webber, 75 min.

Kim Chambers was the first woman (and one of only four people) to swim solo the 26 miles between the Farrallon Islands and San Francisco. This feat is the culmination — so far —  of Kim’s life story, from growing up on a sheep farm in New Zealand to working in the Bay Area tech industry and experiencing a life-changing accident. Kim’s story will inspire and perhaps challenge the viewer to consider the potential in each of us.

WHY:

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Every year, the festival has presented close to 50 films from 15 different countries and features post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the annual Free Student Education Program. The festival was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Media Contact:

David Perry / David Perry & Associates, Inc. / cell: (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

MEDIA INVITE & ADVISORY / ONSITE COVERAGE REQUEST:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

WHEN:  Wednesday, March 7: 11am

WHERE:  5016 Mission Street (between Italy & Seneca)

• Across the Street from the “Sons of Italy” Hall

San Francisco, CA

WHAT: Groundbreaking for new Family Connections Facility

WEB: www.portolafc.org

WHY: In 2018, Family Connections celebrates 25 years of service to families. Today, they “break ground” begin renovation of a new facility that will greatly expand the ability to fulfull their mission. Family Connections exists to develop strong, healthy families and to build thriving communities in the Portola and Excelsior neighborhoods. Family Connections provides opportunities for people of different backgrounds to work together cooperatively, sharing cultures, values, knowledge, and resources.

Families of the Portola and Excelsior communities will continue to have access to multicultural/multilingual resources and neighborhood support services that provide opportunities for community-driven initiatives and strengthening individual skills to create a safer, healthier, and empowered community in which to raise children

Family Connections serves primarily low-income, immigrant working families and individuals in community centers located in San Francisco’s Portola and Excelsior neighborhoods. Our array of more than 30 interconnected, participant-driven programs is designed to provide a comprehensive continuum of care from early childhood education to grandparent support groups and from family literacy to intensive case management. Our goal is to support and empower parents and caregivers to develop healthy families that will, in turn, create a thriving community in which to raise children.

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com

Award-Winners Announced for 15^th Annual International Ocean Film Festival

$ 115,000 Raised at “Off The Reef” Gala 

Festival runs March 8 – 11 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater

Additional Screenings at SF’s Roxie and Marin’s Lark Theaters

www.oceanfilmfest.org 

1 March 2018 – San Francisco, CA: “And the envelope please……” Not to be upstaged by the Oscars – it is after all “Award Month” – the San Francisco based International Ocean Film Festival has announced the 10 winning films for its highly coveted annual awards.  Coming off the Festival’s most comprehensive selection season and an equally as successful fundraising cycle, the so called “Sundance of ocean film festivals” is poised for a landmark series of offerings March 8 – 11 in venues in San Francisco and Marin.

“It’s a cliché but also a truism that every one of our films is a winner and worthy of an award,” said Ana Blanco, executive director for the International Ocean Film Festival “Having said that, 10 films stood out for us as most representative of our mission: saving our oceans, one film at a time.”

This year’s award winners are:

Coastal Culture Award: The Islands and the Whales (United Kingdom – 81 minutes), director Mike Day. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 7:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Conservation Award: Seeking Sanctuary (United Kingdom – 11 minutes), director Nick Jones. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 1:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Environment Award: Reefs at Risk (USA – 11 minutes), director Malina Fagan. Screening: Friday, March 9, 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 10, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason; and Sunday, March 11, 5:00 pm, Lark Theater, Larkspur, CA,

Golden Gate Award: Kim Swims (USA – 75 minutes), directors Kate Webber & David Orr. Screening: Thursday, March 8, 8:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Short Award: The Agave Gun (USA/Mexico – 10 minutes), director Ross Haines. Screening: Friday, March 9, 7:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco.

Wildlife Award: Albatross (USA – 97 minutes), director Chris Jordan. Screening: Sunday, March 11, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Director’s Award: Lionfish: New Pirates of the Caribbean (Germany – 52 minutes), director Ulf Marquardt. Screening: Friday, March 9, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco.

Adventure Award: Touched by the Ocean (Latvia – 68 minutes), directors Laura Rožkalne-Ozola & Sandijs Semjonovs. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Citizen Science Award: Return of the Harbor Porpoises (USA – 10 minutes), director Jim Sugar. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 10:00 am at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Animation Award: Chiripajas (Russia/Spain – 2 minutes), directors Olga Poliektova & Jaume Quiles. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 10:00 am at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.

Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Every year, the festival has presented close to 50 films from 15 different countries and features post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the annual Free Student Education Program. The festival was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Sponsors for the 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuaries, the Canadian Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, MINI Cooper, SSA Visitor Services for Cultural Attractions, Port of San Francisco, RBC Wealth Management, Alcatraz Cruises, Big Bus San Francisco, Gray Line of San Francisco, San Francisco Magazine, and Hotel Zephyr, official hotel sponsor for the festival.

The 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will take place March 8 – 11, 2018, at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater at Fort Mason with additional screenings on Sunday, March 11 at San Francisco’s Roxie Theatre and at the Lark Theater in Larkspur. A full, detailed schedule of all screenings may be found online at www.oceanfilmfest.org. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit.