TALLAHASSEE, FL – Secretary of State Glenda E. Hood announced today that Florida Heritage Month will conclude with the first-ever Florida Heritage Film Series on Thursday April 15, 2004. An advanced screening of two PBS documentaries, “The Sponge Divers of Tarpon Springs” and “The River Runs North” will be shown on at 11:30 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. respectively in the R.A. Gray Auditorium.

“Both of these films provide a fascinating look at the Florida of today and yesterday, depicting segments of our state that are rarely seen up close,” said Secretary Hood. “Greek-American sponge divers have been part of our culture and heritage for more than 100 years and the St. Johns River has a rich history that includes the first European settlements in America.”

Eagle Productions in Orlando produced both documentaries. “This is an excellent opportunity for the public to see these films before they are broadcast on PBS,” said director Tom Lowe.

“The Sponge Divers of Tarpon Springs” chronicles the development of this Greek-American industry through its heydays in the 1930s and its decline in succeeding decades because of red tide and other maladies; it also explores the lives of people who continue to walk the floor of the sea today in search of their own version of the Golden Fleece. “We tried to capture the 100-year-old story of how and why sponge diving came to Florida, but we also wanted to tell it through the eyes of the people who still dive today,” said Lowe.

“The second film, ‘The River Runs North’ captures the heart of this region with breathtaking photography and narrative,” said Lowe. “We wanted to show the role the river played in the founding of America and what role it’ll play in the future as Florida’s population expands.”

In addition to the screening of the films, Lowe will conduct a filmmaker’s forum that will include the technical aspects of documentary filmmaking. The forum will include special guests including an actor portraying William Bartram who originally explored the St. Johns River more than 225 years ago, George Billiris, a sponge merchant and former sponge diver, and painter Dean Quigley.

Florida Heritage Film Series is free and open to the public. “The Sponge Divers of Tarpon Springs” will begin at 11:30 a.m. in the R.A. Gray Building Auditorium at 500 South Bronough Street; “The River Runs North” will start at 12:45 p.m. For more information about the film series, call (850) 245-6470. For more details about other Florida Heritage Month events, please visit the website at www.floridaheritagemonth.com.

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