This post would belong in the shameless self-promotion category, except that Wendy Rieger wrote the bulk of it; we're just quoting. Anchor of NBC4 in DC, and originator of the "Going Green" strand, she produced a lovely story on A Sea Change. Wendy decided the next day to attend our DC premiere in person, and here's what happened:
"I tried to see a movie on Saturday and couldn't get in. I almost wept with joy.
I went to the Museum of Natural History in the Smithsonian to see the documentary, A Sea Change, debuting at the D.C. Environmental Film Festival. I had just interviewed the filmmakers the day before and fashioned a story for our 5 p.m. news.
The director, Barbara Ettinger, had voiced some concerns about filling the 550-seat Baird Auditorium. I couldn't bear the thought of this beautiful and important filmechoing into an empty room and vowed to have my butt filling one ofthose seats. . . .
I arrived at the Baird to find a packed house. People were spilling out the door. The show was at 3:30. By 3 p.m. they had to announce standing room only. And by 3:15 they announced no one else could come in. They were packed to the gills (pun intended).
As I headed through the museum lobby, I saw people holding the film festival's program. My heart was full. People get it. We are at a critical time in our planet's history. Unlike the previous 5 billion years, this time we can have an impact. But we have to understand the problem. We have tolong to be a part of the solution. We have to come out on a rainy Saturday and fight for a seat.
I never got to see A Sea Change. But I feel like I'm witnessing one."
Thanks, Wendy; we think you're far more than a witness.
