A present day portrait about several eccentric communities that surround the Salton Sea in southern California, the film covers the history and environmental issues connected to the sea. A little off-beat, funny, and maybe even strange, the filmmakers investigate the subjective notion of success and failure, amidst the backdrop of the American Dream.

At each screening, the audience can fill out postcards in the memory of Sonny Bono, late entertainer and former congressman, who had championed the Salton Sea. There is a national wildlife refuge dedicated to Sonny Bono at the Salton Sea. The cards will be addressed to the governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and encourage the delay of some of the currently scheduled water transfers. It’s a little tongue in cheek, but then it will also address an issue that is affecting all of the USA.

For more information, feel free to e-mail Co-Director Chris Metzler at cametzler@gmail.com or call (415) 771-9987.

Thanks for any help you can offer in spreading the word about the film.

***** begin press release *****

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – http://www.saltonseadoc.com

CHRIS METZLER AND JEFF SPRINGER’S NEW FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, “PLAGUES AND PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA,” MAKES ITS LOS ANGELES THEATRICAL PREMIERE AT THE LAEMMLE’S GRANDE 4-PLEX ON FRIDAY, APRIL 20th THROUGH MAY 3RD.

Fri: 5:45pm, 7:45pm, and 9:45pm

Sat-Sun: 1:45pm, 3:45pm, 5:45pm, 7:45pm, and 9:45pm

Mon-Thurs: 5:45pm and 7:45pm

Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex

345 S. Figueroa St.

Downtown Los Angeles

(213) 617-0268

http://www.laemmle.com

PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA

Directed by Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer Narrated by John Waters Music by Friends of Dean Martinez

contact: metzler@rocketmail.com

“Weird and wonderful.” – The New Times

“A heartbreaking, sidesplitting parade of humanity.” – Village Voice

“Historically thorough and thoroughly hysterical.” – L.A. Weekly

“An interesting, disturbing, and humorous look at environmental disaster.”

- The Berkeley Daily Planet

“A hilarious and kindly ode to a fallen paradise.” – SF Weekly

“Four stars! Offering you a vacation like you’ve never had before… in this charming, yet sad documentary.” – Film Threat

Fabulously offbeat and refreshingly upbeat, this lovable film gets friendly with the natives of the Salton Sea‹an inland ocean of massive fish kills, rotting resorts, and 120 degree nights located just minutes from urban Southern California. This award-winning film from directors Chris Metzler and Jeff Springer details the rise and fall of the Salton Sea, from its heyday as the “California Riviera” where boaters and Beach Boys mingled in paradise to the present state of decaying, forgotten ecological disaster.

From wonderland to wasteland, PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA captures a place far more interesting than the shopping malls and parking lots of suburban America, a wacky world where a beer-swilling Hungarian Revolutionary, a geriatric nudist, and a religious zealot building a monument to God all find solace and community.

Crisply and hilariously narrated by oddball auteur John Waters, and featuring music by desert lounge rockers Friends of Deans Martinez, PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA melds high camp with stark realism, offering both a sobering message about the consequences of tampering with nature and a heart-warming tale of individualism.