Home | Call for Entries 2008 | 2007 Schedule | About WHFF | Beyond The Festival | Support the Festival | What's New? | Press Room   

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  The Woods Hole Film Festival 

Attn: pr@woodsholefilmfestival.org

Remastered 1971 Documentary Classic BLUE WATER, WHITE DEATH to Open

The 16^th Woods Hole Film Festival

The Historic Story about the Search for the elusive Great White Shark by Daring Divers and Filmmakers created first- ever 35mm Footage and Documentary film of this Magnificent Creature.

Recently found feature classic has a completely enhanced negative and will be shown in high definition opening night at the Woods Hole Film Festival.

WOODS HOLE, MA – June 10, 2007 – The 16th Woods Hole Film Festival today announced that on Saturday, July 28th, the history-making documentary BLUE WATER, WHITE DEATH directed by the late Peter Gimbel will be screened at 7:30 PM in the Woods Hole Oceanographic’s Redfield Auditorium.  The film chronicles the real-life expedition of four deep-sea divers and intrepid filmmakers on a quest to capture the first-ever 35mm underwater film footage of the majestic-but-deadly great white shark, before the adventure filmmaking genre existed. The film was one of Peter Benchley’s inspirations when he wrote the movie JAWS and is credited as the beginning of man’s continuing fascination with the Great White Shark.  A tribute to Peter Gimbel will precede the screening at 6:30 PM.

In 1969, armed with only their cameras that had been made specially for this film, underwater adventurer and director Peter Gimbel, world renown shark and underwater experts Ron and Valerie Taylor and underwater cinematography expert Stan Waterman, set out on a 12,000-mile journey traveling from Durban, South Africa, across the Indian Ocean to study and film this powerful predator in its natural habitat. 

They followed whaling ships in the Indian Ocean expecting the fresh kill to lure the Great White from the depths - their only protection-frail aluminum cages. The hunt extended from Africa to Australia-from spring into summer. Thousands of sharks were sighted and photographed-every one a proven predator-but they did not confront the Great White until Dangerous Reef, off the coast of South Australia. One of highlights of the film is ground breaking sequence where all the divers leave the shark cages to swim with dozens of deadly White Tip sharks as they feed.

This is the story of that hunt and finally of the awesome encounter between man and the most deadly and breathtaking creature of the sea - The Great White Shark.

Their aluminum cages, one with bars that were bent by the awesome power of the shark will be on display at the Festival.  The re-launch of this film will include a panel discussion with some of the original crew and a chance to see a beautifully remastered version of the film projected in high definition.

Credentialed press can request interviews and register for the Woods Hole Film Festival VIP event scheduled for 4:00 PM on Saturday July 28th at the Fishmonger in Woods Hole by emailing md@woodsholefilmfestival.org.

The schedule for the 2007 Woods Hole Film Festival will be announced on June 15th, 2007.

For more information about the Woods Hole Film Festival please visit www.woodsholefilmfestival.org or call (508) 495 - 3456.

###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:  The Woods Hole Film Festival
(508) 495-3456
attn: Judy Laster
info@woodsholefilmfestival.org

   © 2007 Woods Hole Film Festival. All Rights Reserved.