i'll be moderating a discussion after tonights screening... should be fun.

CHRIS METZLER AND JEFF SPRINGER'S NEW FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY, “PLAGUES AND PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA,” MAKES ITS NEW YORK PREMIERE AT THE MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO'S TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL.

Screening info:

Friday, April 22nd at 6:00pm

The Museum of Television & Radio
25 West 52nd Street
New York City, NY

www.mtr.org
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PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA - SHORT SYNOPSIS

There was time when the Salton Sea, tucked into the southeast corner of California was known as the Riviera of the West—a haven for jetsetters and
vacationers. Originally created by accident, it’s now one of the country’s worst ecological disasters: a fetid, stagnant, salty lake, coughing up dead fish and
birds by the thousands. Still, a hardy few have hung on there, hoping for help to come along and restore the lake to its former glory. Congressman Sonny Bono himself was once dedicated to saving the lake, until he went skiing one day… Eccentrics abound in this surreal landscape: the naked guy who waves to passing RVs; the man who built his own holy mountain; beer-loving Hungarian Hunky Daddy; the guys who plan to get rich someday when this virtual sewer becomes a Riviera again. Hair-raising and hilarious, part history lesson, part cautionary tale and part portrait of one of the strangest communities you’ve ever seen, this is the American Dream gone as stinky as a dead
carp. _______________________________________________

PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA - LONG SYNOPSIS

In the middle of a harsh desert valley in California’s southeast corner, lies a glimmering blue jewel — the Salton Sea.  Along its desolate shores stand
boarded-up motels, dusty rural towns, half-flooded vacation homes, and miles of sun-crisped fish carcasses.  Amid this surreal and apocalyptic landscape survives a most unusual and unexpected group of eccentrics, who have carved out their own slice of paradise on the shores of this ecological disaster.
Through their perceptions and misperceptions, the strange history and unexpected beauty of the SaltonSea is revealed.

"Accidentally" created by an engineering error in 1905, reworked in the 50’s as a world class vacation destination for the rich and famous, and then suddenly
abandoned after a series of hurricanes, floods, and fish die-offs, the Salton Sea has a bittersweet past. Now amongst the ruins of this man-made mistake, a few
remaining people struggle to keep a remodeled version of the dream alive.  However, this most unique community is now threatened by the nearby
megalopolises of Los Angeles and San Diego, as they attempt to take the agricultural run-off that barely sustains the sea.  The fate of this so-called
ecological time bomb and the community that surrounds it remains uncertain, as the Salton Sea might just dry up.

While PLAGUES & PLEASURES covers the economic, political, and environmental issues that face the sea, it more importantly offers up an offbeat portrait of
the eccentric and individualistic people who populate its shores.  It is an epic western tale of fantastic real estate ventures and failed boomtowns, inner-city
gangs fleeing to white small town America, eternal optimism thriving among the remains of failed vacation destinations, and the subjective notion of success &
failure amidst the landscape of the American Dream.
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PLAGUES & PLEASURES ON THE SALTON SEA – WAR STORY

4 years, 2 sunburned guys, 1 melted camera, 120° heat, 75% humidity, dust storms, earthquakes, beautiful sunsets, flooded towns, palm trees, air boat rides, double-wides, bombing ranges, amputees, meth addicts,
swinging seniors, naked Christians, mooning Hungarians, infatuated eleven year-olds, dead shit, botulism, toxic muck, an unfathomable stench, and a
whole lot of cash - all washed down with a warm 40oz beer.
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CHRIS METZLER – CO-DIRECTOR’S BIO:

After graduating from USC with a degree in business and cinema, Chris’ film career has taken him from the depths of agency work, to coordinating post-production for awful American movies seen late at night in
Belgium.

His film directing and producing work has resulted in frequent partnerships with Jeff Springer, where together they've criss-crossed the country with the
aid of caffeinated beverages and made their way in the Nashville country and Christian music video industries, before finally forsaking their souls to
commercial LA rock n’ roll.  These misadventures eventually culminated in them winning a Billboard Magazine Music Video Award.

Chris now finds himself pursuing docs featuring gay truck drivers and Australian opal miners.
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JEFF SPRINGER – CO-DIRECTOR’S BIO:

Jeff Springer was born in a virtually abandoned town in the California  desert, raised in Hawaii, and educated at USC Film School.  After living for a
winter in Russia, he returned to Los Angeles to begin directing music videos, shorts, and editing for UPN, Fox, Geffen Records, and Lucasfilm.  Burned out and hung over, he eventually fled to San Francisco to start work on PLAGUES & PLEASURES, while still driving to Los Angeles to edit WWF and Moesha promos to pay the bills.  He now lives somewhere between San Francisco and Berlin.

"Plagues & Pleasures" is their first feature documentary for which they won the Robert Altman Award and the BAVC Videomaker Award.