LUNA - The Stafford Giant Tree-Sit Wins Prestigious Award at The Okomedia International Festval of Ecological Films

HEADWATERS ACTION VIDEO COLLECTIVE (HAVC) 10/13/99

Contact: James Ficklin

PRESS ANNOUNCEMENT: DOCUMENTARY ABOUT JULIA BUTTERFLY WINS PRIZE IN EUROPE

(10/10/99) The 20 minute documentary, LUNA - The Stafford Giant Tree-Sit has won a prestigious award at the Okomedia International Festval of Ecological Films in Freiburg Germany on 10/10/99.

The Hoimar von Ditfurth Prize for "the Best Journalistic Portrayal of Ecological Problems for Children and Young People" was presented to the director James Ficklin. He had been invited to Germany as a guest of the Okomedia Institute.

LUNA is the story of Julia Butterfly's first 2 months of living in a giant ancient redwood tree to protect it from being cut down by Pacific Lumber Company, owned by Maxxam Corp. of Texas. James Ficklin³s other documentary Fire in the Eyes was also featured in the festival, and though it did not recieve an award, it was the subject of lively discussions as it shocked viewers from around the world with it³s images of police brutality on non-violent Earth First! activists in Humboldt County.

The Okomedia (or Ecomedia) Festival brings together films and film-makers from around the world to take part in screenings, discussion panels and an awards competition. The Okomedia Institute also provides the oppurtunity for filmmakers, TV producers, distributors, journalists and educators, to network, socialize and engage in lively debate. Each film was followed by a question & answer period between the filmmakers and the audience. "I was honored to have both films included in the festival, and thrilled to recieve the award. Audiences were amazed to hear that Julia Butterfly has remained in the tree for nearly two years without coming down. They were equally amazed that our police can get away with such brutal behavior with impunity.” Said James Ficklin, Director.

LUNA - The Stafford Giant Tree-Sit may now have a chance to be seen on National Television in China, a Chinese representative took home a video copy. The videos will also travel back to India for entry into 2 film festivals, including the Bombay Film Festival, one of the largest in Asia. James Ficklin was interviewed by an East German TV program and an Environmental TV show from Latvia. Clips from the two videos will be shown on those TV shows as well.

The film has been entered into the prestigious Sundance festival in Park City, Utah and a German distribution company may include LUNA in their catalog,. Everyone was interested in the upcoming follow up feature film, called Tree-Sit: The Art of Resistance due to be finished by years end. "Environmental issues are global in their implications, and I think LUNA was popular because it shows that one person can make a difference, that even though the environmental situation is dismal, resistance is still meaningful, and that direct action and civil disobedience can be respectable and legitimate." said James Ficklin, Director.