Costa’s Jungle Fish Wins Film Award from the Sundance Institute
Daytona Beach, Fla. – Jan. 21, 2013 – Costa Sunglasses accepted a 2013 LightStay Sustainability Film Award from the Sundance Institute and Hilton Worldwide for its work alongside Director Louisiana Kreutz in the short feature, Jungle Fish. The winning films and directors were celebrated in Park City, Utah on Jan. 20 as part of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
The 2013 LightStay Sustainability Award winners were chosen out of 1,500 feature-length documentaries and more than 5,000 short film entries submitted to the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund. The winning films each reflect global issues relevant to Hilton Worldwide’s business and community impact.
Jungle Fish shines a light on the native people of Guyana who, for decades, have struggled for economic independence. Poverty and illiteracy have forced many of the adults into a life of lawlessness and poaching while children often flee the country to seek work in Brazil’s dangerous mines. But hope prowls in Guyana’s rivers in the form of the largest freshwater fish in the world, the arapaima. The film follows three expert fishermen on a two-week voyage deep into the heart of Guyana’s rainforest to demonstrate how the arapaima can be caught with a fly rod. If they succeed, it will prove that the country’s fledgling sport fishing industry is viable and able to provide a brighter future for the native people, the rainforest they call home, and the endangered arapaima.
“Sustainability issues and solutions around the health of our communities are urgent and critical topics for many documentary filmmakers. Further, the support provided directly to documentary filmmakers through this collaboration between Hilton Worldwide and Sundance Institute will help ensure the sustainability of these independent artists in their careers,” said Cara Mertes, director of the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund.
“Following the people of Guyana on their journey as they work to create a better life for their next generation has been hugely inspiring,” said Al Perkinson, executive producer of Jungle Fish and vice president of marketing at Costa Sunglasses. “We hope the recognition the film receives helps generate more conversation about ways we can all work to uncover sustainable economic practices within our communities, without depleting our precious natural resources already in jeopardy.”
I really liked this movie a lot. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, you should. Arapaima on the fly has become a dream trip for me.
