Free Dem Whalez received an Honorable Mention in the category of Student Films for the 2010 Festival to be held in Monterey, California on August 24-29th.
Students from Leesburg High school in central Florida are speaking out against the captive marine mammal industry with a powerful rap message. With support from WDCS, the students are promoting their rap message with a video showcasing magnificent orca whales in their natural environment. The video, created by student Robert Nelson, can be viewed on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/PIER2pierUS .
“My classmates and I feel the best way to share our message against captivity is through rap music,” said sophomore D’Mauri Jones, also a member of the Leesburg High varsity basketball team. “Growing up in Florida, school field trips to marine parks such as SeaWorld and the Miami Seaquarium are routine. Many young people think it’s okay for orca whales and other dolphin species to live in captive facilities. We feel differently and we want the world to know why!”
Jones is one of many students at Leesburg High involved in Pier2Pier, an environmental awareness project initiated by journalism teacher Jamie Aquino in partnership with WDCS. The project, which began five years ago, addresses the issues and threats facing wild dolphins and manatees. In addition to raising awareness about marine mammals, the Pier2Pier students are working with WDCS on the development of a marine conservation and education program in Haiti. They maintain an award winning website (www.pier2pier.net) and in 2009 were named one of the top 10 youth environmental projects by Volvo and the United Nations Environment Programme.
For more details about the Blue Ocean Film Festival, see www.blueoceanfilmfestival.org