Washington, D.C. USA http://www.guyfrog.org board@guyfrog.

org
Contact: Michael Geurink Washington, DC 20003 Tel: (202) 465-6688 Email: mgeurink@guyfrog.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 29th, 2011

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and Community Celebrate Guyana

Film Screening and Fundraiser support small, grassroots Grants program
Washington, D.C. - Friends & Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Guyana (FROG) will hold a film screening and fundraiser on Thursday, October 27th starting at 5:00 pm at the Goethe-Institut Washington, 812 Seventh Street, NW, Washington D.C. This event will feature a film screening of the narrative short, The Seawall, by Guyanese filmmaker, Mason Richards and a special guest speaker. A raffle will also be held with all proceeds going to FROGs grant program. FROG was created in 2007 by a group of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who wanted to create a community of people interested in Guyana, including RPCVs, Peace Corps Volunteers, friends, family and Guyanese based in the small South American country and all over the world. FROG, an official non-profit, works as a network for all interested parties and strives to help Guyana through a small grassroots grants program. Currently FROG is implementing grants in the areas of health, education, IT, business, agriculture and the environment. All proceeds from the film screening and fundraising event will go directly to the FROG grants program, which administers small grants through organizations such as Peace Corps, other volunteer agencies, and Guyanese non-profits. About The Seawall The Seawall, shot entirely on location in Georgetown, Guyana, centers around Marjorie, an older Guyanese woman, as she prepares for her 10-year old grandsons move to America to be with his mother. The cast and crew consisted of local Guyanese non-actors, non-professionals and students in town working alongside a crew from Los Angeles. In addition to being his thesis project at California Institute of the Arts, the film allowed Richards to return to his home country to share what he has learned and make a film in the community - with the community. The director was inspired to make this film after returning to Guyana and wanting to share a glimpse of the lives of a Guyanese family, rarely ever seen, to a larger audience. The Seawall was selected to be part of the 64th Festival de Cannes. Held in May 2011 in Cannes, France, the festival, one of the worlds oldest and most prestigious, highlights the best and brightest new works created over the last year. The Seawall was shown as part of the Short Film Corner, which provides an opportunity for new and emerging artists to share their work and explore ideas and trends within the genre of short films.
The Goethe-Institut Washington is located at 812 Seventh Street, NW, Washington DC 20001-3718. $15 donation at the door. For more information about this event or to schedule an interview with FROG Board Member, Mike Geurink, please call (202)465-6688 or e-mail mgeurink@guyfrog.org.