hawthorne direct 2002 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Winner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

hawthornedirect 2002 Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival Winner

Fairfield, IA - hawthorne direct, the direct response TV advertising agency, recently received recognition from the Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival in the categories of documentary, directing and soundtrack for the "WorldTeach" documentary.

"We are happy to be recognized by the Cedar Rapids International Film Festival for our "WorldTeach" documentary," said Timothy R. Hawthorne, chairman and executive creative director of hawthorne direct.

WorldTeach: An Extraordinary Journey

Tim and Laya Hawthorne, a husband and wife team, produced, directed, shot, wrote, edited and self-funded a documentary/promotional video for WorldTeach, a 15-year-old, non-profit volunteer organization located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a 2-person crew, Tim and Laya took 2 months off from their jobs and flew around the world (over 35,000 miles and 30 flights) traveling to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Galapagos, Namibia and China to document the activities, thoughts, and dreams of college student volunteers teaching English, computer and environmental science in third world countries. Over 40 hours of tape were shot with a Sony DV Cam. The resulting 54-minute video was presented as a gift to WorldTeach for purposes of fundraising and recruiting new volunteers at colleges and universities throughout the USA.

As a small, non-profit organization (about 250 volunteers yearly) with limited financial resources, WorldTeach was overjoyed to receive such a powerful, professionally produced recruiting and fundraising tool. Helen Claire Sievers, WorldTeach Executive Director, said: "Please know that you have made a major impact on what is a very fine program that continues to promote peace and understanding between peoples, as they help children around the world to gain the skills they will need to provide for themselves richer lives."

Through its emotional and personal portrayal of how this program touches volunteers' and indigents' lives, the documentary fulfills its purposes of motivating prospective volunteers to sign up and generating contributions from foundations and individuals. With beautiful photography, compelling music and riveting glimpses into the experiences of the volunteers, this documentary brings an uplifting message of the joy of communication that transcends language and cultural barriers.

The annual Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival evolved from the first Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival. Amateur filmmakers Ron Niermeyer and Scott Chrisman, who were looking to develop a means by which they and other producers could have their works available to the public, were the originators. A further interest was to market collections of the festival films, allowing the filmmakers to recover their production costs.

hawthorne direct is a full-service direct response advertising agency, specializing in creative and production, long and short form media buying, telemarketing/fulfillment management and integrated marketing.

Formore information about hawthorne direct please see www.hawthornedirect.com.