Tonight: "Steel Earth" Film Screening In Nyack

On Tuesday, Sept. 20, Rockland Filmmakers and Keep Rockland Beautiful will co-sponsor a film screening of an episode of the reality television show “Steel Earth” at the Nyack Center.  The film documents efforts by volunteers from Keep Rockland Beautiful to remove wrecked cars from Tackamack Park in Blauvelt. 

With the assistance of equipment donated by Curti’s Landscaping and Impact Industrial Services, the volunteers recovered more than 6,000 tons of steel from Tackamack Park and donated it to Teplitz recycling center.

Steel Earth Producer and Director Jason Paris planned to film an episode of Steel Earth in Tackamack Park for a year but lacked the funds to finance the cleanup.  He learned that volunteers from Keep Rockland Beautiful were planning a cleanup of the Park and a partnership was born.

Andy Stewart, Executive Director of Keep Rockland Beautiful, organizes hundreds of cleanup efforts like this in the county, but this was the first to be documented in this way.

“Having a film maker involved is great because he documents the cleanup itself,” said Stewart.  “It’s fabulous–he tells exactly the kind of story that needs to be told. The film marries the romance of old cars with our romance with the Earth.”

“Together, the volunteers removed a Suzuki Samurai from the stream, a Ford Pinto smashed into a tree, and a Volkswagon bug from deep in the woods, all of which have been abandoned for decades,” said Paris.

Recovering and recycling scrap metal is a passion of Paris.  “I have been pulling abandoned machines out of the woods for many years.”

With a team of supporters, Paris has transported massive recovered machines to local recycle centers.  He recorded these activities in a film initially entitled “Auto Archaeology” which won for 2009 Best Television Pilot at the Cinema City International Film Festival in Los Angeles, California.

“The more research I did the more I found that there are tons of abandoned machines, not just cars,” said Paris.  “We heard about the remains of planes, trains, boats, and construction equipment, all buried in the woods.”

Upon realizing the scope of abandoned machines lost in nature, Paris changed the name of the film to “Steel Earth” and, in 2010, it won Best Television Pilot at the New York International Film Festival.

While Paris hopes to film future episodes at three other sites in Rockland, his ultimate goal is to have the show picked up by a major cable network so that he can travel the country in search of abandoned machines.

“With the help of volunteers from Keep America Beautiful and their affiliates we can increase the scope of this cleanup project from the local level to national and steal our earth back.”  

The Sept. 20 screening will be followed by a panel discussion. 

“We have put together a panel discussion that highlights the filmmaking process, editing, and legal issues encountered while making a reality show pilot,” said David Kaminski of Rockland Filmmakers. 

The panelists will include Jason Paris and Andy Stewart as well as the film’s editor, Jamin Bricker and the film’s attorney and reality television specialist, Michael Overn.

The Nyack Center’s doors will open at 7 p.m. when refreshments will be served.  The screening will begin at 8 p.m. and will be followed by the panel discussion.  A $5 donation to Keep Rockland Beautiful is recommended.

Those who wish to attend should RSVP to (845) 623-1534.  For more information on the event, visit http://www.keeprocklandbeautiful.org/.