ZEROIMPACT PRODUCTIONS The Waimea Valley Audubon Society will host drinks, dinner and the screening of "Oasis of the Pacific: Time is Running Out," about Hawaii's endangered ocean life.

Marine preservation
film to screen

'Oasis of the Pacific: Time is Running Out' Where: Waimea Valley Audubon Center When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday Admission: $8 at the door; tickets also available at Snorkel Bob's, 702 Kapahulu Ave. Call: 638-9199

Dinner and drinks will be available starting at 6 p.m. The movie shows at 7:30, followed by a question-and-answer session with the filmmakers, along with presentations from some of the featured experts.

The hour-long documentary takes viewers on a journey through the endangered undersea world of the Hawaiian islands. Striking imagery of the underwater realm is juxtaposed with the harsh and ugly realities of three major environmental impacts currently overwhelming marine life in Hawaii: shoreline sprawl, pollution and overfishing.

Marine biologists, experts from environmental organizations, and Hawaii residents passionately speak out against concrete sprawl and muddy runoff, pollution from agricultural and land use practices, and the mountains of plastic and derelict fishing gear found throughout the archipelago.

Also disclosed in the film is how illicit violations committed within the fishing industry are leading to the extinction of some of the most threatened animals in the world. Paul Achitoff, the managing attorney for the Honolulu office of Earthjustice, is quoted in the film saying that "the fisheries in the United States are managed in a classic fox-in-the-hen-house manner by regional fisheries management councils that are staffed almost exclusively by commercial fishing interests."

"Oasis of the Pacific" describes the role people can play in securing the future generations with a legacy as rich and varied as the ocean.

The DVD release of the documentary is scheduled for Oct. 15. Specially discounted pre-release DVD orders will be collected at the screening, with 20 percent of the sales going directly to KAHEA's (the Hawaiian Environmental Alliance) campaign to save the Hawaiian monk seal and keep the Northwestern Hawaiian islands pristine.

The dual-layer DVD will include more than 45 minutes of bonus footage, including extended interviews with the featured experts and an interactive Hawaiian marine life guide.