2008 Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition Winners Announced by Rain Bird

Rain Bird, the leading manufacturer and provider of irrigation products and services, tonight announced the winners of the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition, an environmentally focused film competition that gave 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 responsible water use.

Following this evening’s screening event at The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden, in which each of the five finalists’ films were viewed by attendees and judges, filmmakers David Sutera and Michael McGuire were presented with the Jury Prize and the Audience Choice Prize respectively for their film entries titled Glass Half Full and Water Thicker Than Oil.

“All of the finalists in the competition have taken on the world’s water issues through a personal lens that will undoubtedly encourage discussion on the efficient, effective and responsible use of Earth’s most precious resource,” said Dave Johnson, Rain Bird’s Corporate Marketing Director. “In sponsoring the 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition we aim to provide filmmakers like these six finalists with a forum to exercise their influence, and actively raise awareness of this important issue in a manner that will inspire others to take action in their own way.”

As the winner of the Jury Prize, David Sutera was awarded $6,000 for his film entry, Glass Half Full, a mockery of the film noir genre that drives home an important message of water conservation in an entertaining and comedic manner.

Michael McGuire, the Audience Choice Prize winner, was awarded $3,000 for his film entry titled Water Thicker Than Oil, a simplified approach to water conservation as seen through a child’s eyes.

This year’s Jury Award was chosen by a panel of judges consisting of Gary McVey, executive director of the American Cinema Foundation, documentarian Jim Thebaut and Timothy Brick, chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Shalini Kantayya, director of the 2007 Audience Choice Award Winner “A Drop of Life,” served as the master of ceremonies for the evening’s event.

Prior to the screening of the finalists’ films, the evening’s guests were treated to a special showing of The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry?, critically acclaimed writer, director, producer and competition judge Jim Thebaut’s definitive look at how the water crisis is affecting the American Southwest and its escalating economic toll.

In addition to this evening’s awarding of the film competition winners, Rain Bird presented Christopher S. Gray Sr. with a check for $10,000 in recognition of his being selected as the winner of Rain Bird’s 2008 Intelligent Use of Water Award for his role in the development and implementation of an innovative wastewater recapture program as Superintendent at Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Kentucky.

The Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition is part of a range of programs and initiatives to boost awareness of the need for water conservation. Rain Bird devotes significant resources to its Intelligent Use of Water public initiatives, which include The Intelligent Use of Water Award; biannual Intelligent Use of Water Summits; a series of white papers; public service announcements; membership on the Alliance for Water Efficiency and the steering committee advising the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its WaterSense product labeling program; partnerships with nonprofit organizations; development and support of elementary and middle school curriculums; and participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade®, an annual worldwide stage to communicate the need for water conservation.