N E W S   R E L E A S E

 

May 24, 2007

CONTACT: Nadine Westcott 916-446-0400

 PECG-SPONSORED BAY BRIDGE DOCUMENTARY WINS TWO EMMYS

Best Documentary, Outstanding Animation Achievement

SACRAMENTO—"The Bridge So Far: A Suspense Story," filmmaker David L. Brown’s humorous and biting documentary about the long delays plaguing the construction of the Eastern span of the Bay Bridge, won two Emmy awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, San Francisco/Northern California Chapter.

The documentary received the award for Outstanding Achievement, Documentary; the region’s best documentary of the year. Animator Charlie Canfield also won for Outstanding Achievement, Graphic Arts and Animation. The Emmy winners were honored at a ceremony at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco earlier this month.  

The Professional Engineers in California Government (PECG) sponsored the documentary, which aired on KQED (PBS) on September 3, 2006. The documentary has also been shown on commercial and public television in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, Chico/Redding, Monterey/Salinas, Bakersfield, and El Centro/Yuma media markets.  

The documentary has received rave reviews from critics and journalists. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Leah Garchik called it “a funny and terrifying look at what’s been delaying the Bay Bridge.” The Sacramento Bee’s Sam McManis said the film was a “snarky and compelling documentary.”  Oakland Tribune writer Erik Nelson, in his InsideBayArea.com Capricious Commuter column, called it “my best lesson yet on the history of the new Bay Bridge.” Contra Costa Times columnist Lisa Vorderbrueggen called it “a great and funny film that offers a whole new perspective on the saga of the Bay Bridge project.” 

Among those appearing in interviews and file footage are former San Francisco and Oakland mayors Willie Brown and Jerry Brown, Caltrans Director Will Kempton, former Alameda Supervisor Mary King, and comedian Will Durst. 

(Reporters seeking a copy of the film on DVD should contact Nadine Westcott at 916-446-0400.)