LAGUNA BEACH, CA (March 28, 2008) — Project BLUE is proud to announce the winners of the VIEW Short Film Contest. The winning filmmakers will have their work showcased as public service announcements and other project BLUE initiatives. The winners were selected by a panel of project BLUE partners and members of the Surfrider Foundation staff.

The First Place Winner is Tonya Stumphauzer of El Segundo, California, for her film, “Dolphins Gone Wild.” For her submission, Stumphauzer recruited friends to help paint an amusing picture of what might happen if marine life treated our homes in the same manner that we treat theirs.

“The ultimate goal for “Dolphins Gone Wild” was to convince viewers that being a conscious consumer should be a big part of everyone’s life – but the message needed to be presented in an entertaining way”, says Winner Tonya Stumphauzer. “I thought it would be humorous to portray dolphins, who are typically perceived as sweet and docile, wrecking a human home. As a Surfrider supporter and ocean lover, I’m really stoked that I had the opportunity to be a part of the project BLUE contest. I’m thrilled that we won and hope people enjoy the video”.

Runner up was awarded to Joe Smith of Deltona, Florida for his film “Take a Stand” in which inherent ocean lovers take a militant stand against those that threaten their playground.

“For me, the process and profession of making motion pictures is very rewarding – in this case even more so for the opportunity to work on a project that will help bring support to a cause like the Surfrider Foundation,” says Smith. “We don't get a “re-do” in regards to the health of our oceans, nor the earth for that matter. This is our one chance to take care of it.”

Third place is awarded to Grant Bostrom of La Jolla, CA for his film “Sustainable Graffiti” – an illustration of an environmentally friendly “tag” on the sand in support of the Save Trestles campaign.

“Sustainable Graffiti was an experiment, a short vignette, which captures the essence of the activist path”, says Bostrom. “Creating awareness for the Surfrider Foundation, it's mission and principles, while selling sweet gear at the same time… how could you go wrong?”

Aspiring filmmakers were asked to produce an original short film piece that would inform, influence, instigate, incite and inspire others to help our oceans, waves and beaches.

“The VIEW short film contest was a great exercise in open-source activism,” says project BLUE founder Vipe Desai. “This form of interaction allows for inspiring messages to be created by people for people. Our three finalists should be proud of their work, and we’re excited to put their films to good use for the Surfrider Foundation.”

The short films submitted by our VIEW winners will be used as PSA’s to help create awareness for project BLUE and its ongoing support for the Surfrider Foundation.

To watch the winning entries, along with the rest of the submissions, log on to http://www.betruetoblue.com/view

ABOUT project BLUE

Hands down the hottest brand collection of the year, project BLUE features signature apparel accessory items by such brands as Reef, Billabong, Nixon, O'Neill, DAKINE and Electric. Each project BLUE product not only features exclusive colors and designs, $2 from every item goes back to support the Surfrider Foundation and their efforts to protect and preserve our world's oceans, waves and beaches. It's not a charity. It's a plan of action.

http://www.betruetoblue.com

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