Mark Achbar, one of Canada’s award-winning Filmmaker/Producers, will be in Syracuse on April 22 as a guest of The Syracuse International Film Festival and Syracuse University. He will show his newest film, Blue Gold, at the Palace Theater, 2384 James St., Syracuse (Eastwood) at 7:30 pm on Thursday, April 22. In addition, you can join Achbar for dinner at Phoebe’s Restaurant prior to the screening (5:15 pm.) as he kicks off SYRFILM’s new series, “A Filmmaker at the Table.” “The world’s fresh water is disappearing.”
“In every corner of the globe we are polluting and wasting our fresh water supply as population and technology grows.” These lines describe the premise of Achbar’s new documentary film, Blue Gold: World Water Wars. Mark Achbar, a graduate of Syracuse University’s Fine Arts Film Program, has worked in film for 30 years and is spending several days at SU as a visiting artist in the Department of Transmedia, College of Visual & Performing Arts. Recognized world-wide as one of a group of non-fiction feature filmmakers reaching large, international audiences through mainstream theaters, DVD, TV and the internet, Achbar is also known for the award-winning productions, The Corporation and Noam Chomsky and the Media. In addition to dinner and the film, the April 22nd evening will feature an exhibition of photography by Dr. Gregory Craybas, whose work highlights the natural beauty of water in Central New York and around the Great Lakes. Tickets for the evening event are $55 single/$100 couple and include dinner and the film screening. Dinner space is limited and reservations are needed (phone 315.443.8826) by April 14h. Tickets will also be available for the film only ($10/$8 seniors/students) at the theater door. Each dinner guest will receive a ticket for gift baskets donated by Natur-Tyme Natural Food Store and other local businesses and services. Achbar is the third Film Artist brought to Syracuse this year by the Syracuse International Film Festival. Other world-class artists presenting their work have included Cannes Festival award winning director, Rob Nilsson who screened Imbued (starring Stacy Keach) and activist-filmmaker George Gittoes, who screened Soundtrack to War and The Miscreants of Talliwood. Additional sponsorship for these guests was provided by LeMoyne College Film Program and Syracuse University.