Ocean City, NJ — Bruckner Chase Ocean Positive, Inc. is excited to announce that their 2103 National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Hollings Grant film project will reach a global audience in 2014 as part of the Beneath the Waves Global Film Festival.

The film is the first of what is planned to be many more Blue Journey endurance expeditions that explore our personal connections to the oceans and share the stories of ocean communities around the world. This is Bruckner Chase’s and the non-profit’s first documentary release.

The inspiration behind “Blue Journey American Samoa: Stronger Together, The Waterman’s Way” is the Samoans’ ancient connection to the ocean as a foundation upon which we create and inspire a global Blue Journey towards actions that support the safety and health of all our communities and our oceans.

The immediate goal of the project was to teach and inspire the local youth, businesses, government agencies and villages to take an active role in protecting their own health and safety as well as that of the aquatic environment around them.

The ultimate goal of the Blue Journey American Samoa initiative is to highlight on an international level the success already being realized in American Samoa through the educational programs of the Department of Public Safety’s Marie Patrol Division, the local high schools, various community projects, and the villages of Aunu’u and Leone. Together these programs and groups create the potential for new career opportunities within the Territory while also enabling a new level of engagement and stewardship towards the oceans we all share.

The film’s creators also believe the Samoan connection to the oceans can lead the way for other communities to connect with and care for our oceans.

The film highlights the ocean experiences around American Samoa of endurance waterman, Bruckner Chase, and his impassioned work within the American Samoan community that links the health of our marine environment with the health of our communities.

Set against the backdrop of the newly expanded National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa and specifically the island of Aunu’u and Fagatele Bay, the film goes beyond one individual’s ocean challenges and message by sharing the inspiring story of the village of Leone’s fight to overcame tragic losses and near complete devastation from the 2009 tsunami.

Bruckner Chase Ocean Positive, Inc. (501c3) & Bruckner Chase — Founded by Ocean City, NJ based endurance waterman and ocean advocate, Bruckner Chase and his wife, Dr Michelle Evans-Chase the company’s mission is: To positively impact how we feel, think and act towards our oceans. Bruckner has completed extreme ocean events around the world but he considers himself Samoan at heart.

Since an initial visit to American Samoa in 2011 he has spent extensive time on the island, and he was given the Matai (Chief) title of Uila o le Sami (Electricity in the Ocean) by High Talking Chief Fuiava of Aunu’u. Bruckner considers himself part of that village and  is committed to improving the health and well being of his Samoan community. www.brucknerchase.com, 831-345-9550, synthesis@brucknerchase.com

Beneath the Wave Film Festival — “Now in its fifth year, the Festival is a unique student-and-scientist-run year-long festival that has solicited hundreds of films from all over the world and has connected thousands of people from all walks of life and locations with the stories and issues facing our oceans.” www.beneaththewavesfilmfest.org