Suffolk County, NY - May 22, 2018 - Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced the launch of the Reclaim Our Water (ROW) Film Contest for public service announcements and short films. The contest, which coincides with National Maritime Day, is open to all New York State residents of any age and is designed to raise awareness of water quality issues and the impact of nitrogen pollution.
“Public education is a critical component to ensuring that residents understand just how important our efforts are in protecting our water quality on Long Island," said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. "This contest is a terrific opportunity for anyone to develop their own creative and informative films to expose the significance on this environmental issue."
The contest, which was first launched in 2014, is presented by the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development and Planning with the essential and active collaboration of the Suffolk County Film Commission, in support of County Executive Bellone’s “Reclaim Our Water” initiative. The Reclaim Our Water initiative seeks to reduce nitrogen pollution from cesspools and septic systems, which contributes to beach closures, restrictions on harvesting of shellfish, harmful algae blooms, and fish kills in Suffolk County waterways, through the connection of communities to sewer systems and the installation of advanced on-site wastewater treatment systems.
Filmmakers will be judged on creativity and originality, quality, technical accuracy, and content of their public service announcements or short films, that can range from 15 seconds to one minute in length.
Submissions for the contest must be posted by Monday, August 20, 2018. Winners will be chosen by Friday, August 31, 2018 and then announced on Monday, September 3, 2018. Screening of the winning films will take place at the Long Island Maritime Museum on Saturday, September 15, 2018. The screening of the winning films coincides with the start of National SepticSmart Week, which is held by the United States Environmental Protection Agency from September 17-21 and is designed to educate homeowners, local officials and communities on the proper care and maintenance of their septic systems.
For complete film contest information and entry details visit the ROW Film contest here.
About the Suffolk County Film Commission
In order to facilitate the economic growth of the film production industry in Suffolk County, the Suffolk Film Commission serves to raise public and industry awareness, make recommendations to appropriate governmental officials and bodies; facilitate the development of industry productions, festivals, competitions; and further the interests of industries allied with the motion picture and television industries by articulating and advocating for the industries' needs and opportunities. For more information, visit: www.suffolkcountyfilmcommission.com.