New York, U.S.A. – Underdog Entertainment, a New York-based production company, have announced that “Save Lolita” is a finalist and will screen at the 2012 Blue Ocean Film Festival. The award-winning public service announcement (PSA) raises awareness of the plight of Lolita the orca, who has been held captive for 42 years in a small concrete pool.

Forty-two years ago, herders violently took Lolita from her family in Puget Sound and transferred her to a 20-foot-deep tank at the Miami Seaquarium. Only four times her size at its widest point, the tank appears to be illegally small under Department of Agriculture regulations.  Many are calling for retiring Lolita to a coastal sanctuary.

“Research clearly shows that orcas are sentient, highly intelligent and social beings who are aware of their surroundings.  To confine such a beautiful 22-foot creature to a tiny 35-foot-wide tank seems inhumane.  I felt compelled to do something,” explains PSA director Azarian.

The Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Event (BLUE) screens over 100 finalist films from 25 countries.  In addition, BLUE will be recognizing two great heroes of ocean exploration, Don Walsh and James Cameron, with their Legacy Award for their lifetime achievements in exploration and ocean filmmaking.  The 7-day festival will take place September 24th-30th, 2012 in Monterey, California. All events are open to the general public and industry delegates.

Azarian, an established director of television commercials and branded entertainment, recently won two Telly Awards for “Save Lolita.” In all, he has won five Tellys – including the Silver Award, Telly’s highest honor. This past fall, he directed the “Bullying is Violence” PSA campaign for the Anti-Violence Project and the music video “Teenage Popstar Girl” which was featured on AOL Music and was a winner at the 2012 Robot Film Festival.

He has directed and produced national spots for 3M’s Scotch-Brite brand and Horizon Organic. Blue-chip telecommunications firms and entertainment networks have licensed Azarian’s commercial spots for their US and international mobile networks.

Image Courtesy of  tifotter

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