|
Contact: Sharon Banfield 718-380-3458 |
F O R I M M E D I A T E R E L E A S E
|
MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY CREATES AN EXCITING FUTURE 130th Anniversary Documentary Wins Coveted Silver Telly Award
Kew Gardens, New York is home to Maple Grove Cemetery, a 65 acre national historic landmark that just celebrated its 130th Anniversary. With an eye toward the future, under the leadership of CEO, Linda Mayo-Perez, Maple Grove commissioned Telling Story, LLC, a leading New York filmmaking firm, to create a documentary chronicling the cemetery’s noteworthy past and its vision for the 21st Century. Audiences at Maple Grove’s 130th Anniversary celebration at the New York Hall of Science were treated to the premier of the film, entitled “Embracing The Future.” The film’s producers, Andrew Fillippone, Jr. and Marc Otto, principles and founders of Telling Story, announced that the documentary has just won a Silver Telly Award. For 26 years, Telly Awards have showcased and honored outstanding film and video production. From the more than 10,000 entries submitted to this highly regarded competition each year, only seven to 10 percent are recognized with the Silver Telly. “We are delighted that “Embracing The Future” has received such a prestigious award,” said Linda Mayo-Perez. “Equally important is that now we have documentation of our exceptional history and our plans for making Maple Grove a living museum.” Clearly the film was worthy of the award with its masterful portrayal of how the Cemetery, from its simple beginnings in 1875, became an integral part of the community, outreaching to neighborhood partners and its people to achieve its reputation as a “point of interest” rather than just a place of repose. To accomplish this, Maple Grove Cemetery initiated a diverse array of creative community programs that bring visitors, organizations, schools and families to recall the past and appreciate the future with renewed spirit. Along with the six Cemetery Trustees, the film features Mount Auburn Cemetery, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the first "rural" cemetery in America, and the model for Maple Grove and others that were created during that era. Also cited in the film, Sylvia Hack of the Kew Gardens Improvement Association, Nancy Cataldi and Carl Ballenas of the Richmond Hill Historical Society, Roberta Nelson and Karen Fitzgerald, educators at PS 99, who work closely with Maple Grove developing children’s programs and Father McCarron of the Church of the Resurrection.
“It was a great opportunity to create a film about such an important piece of New York history,” said Andrew Fillippone. “We’re proud to add the Telly Award to our credit, knowing we were able to capture the heart of Maple Grove as more than a memorial but as a tribute to life today and into tomorrow.” Maple Grove Cemetery is open to the public daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For additional information about Maple Grove: 718-544-3600. www.maplegrove.biz Telling Story LLC has offices in New York and Los Angeles, California. They can be reached at 805-905-1000.
|