Stories Of Los Angeles Harbor Area (SOLAHA)
P.O. Box 5202 ~ San Pedro, California 90733
Telephone: 310/519-0756 or 310/766-4884
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2018
Contact:
Jack Baric (310)766-4884 jackbaric@hotmail.com
Stephanie Mardesich (310) 519-0756 stephaniemardesich@yahoo.com
Oral History To Feature Los Angeles County Harbor Communities
“Stories Of Los Angeles Harbor Area: For Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow”
Filming Commences Mid May For August Debut Via Internet
Stories of Los Angeles Harbor Area: For Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (SOLAHA), inaugural oral history film project, sponsored by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, District 4, through grant application funding, will commence filming mid May with plans for August debut. The stories will be distributed weekly through the end of the year via internet sources and potential website to be created or potential future museum setting.
The SOLAHA will be directed by Emmy Award winning filmmaker Jack Baric, also producing along with Stephanie Mardesich., director/founder of the LA Harbor International Film Festival (LAHIFF) and public relations consultant/free lance writer, under the banner of Baric’s Gopher Crow Entertainment production company. Baric and Mardesich, both natives of San Pedro, earned bachelor of arts degrees at the University of Southern California (USC). Mardesich is also alumna of USC School of Cinematic Arts graduate school program in film history, criticism-aesthetics (aka critical studies).
The mission of SOLAHA is to preserve the significant history of the people and communities of the Harbor, recognizing what is inherent to inspire future generations to continue striving to make it a great place to live, work, and invest in as the area continues to progress.
Oral history is a means to obtain information from different perspectives that cannot always be found in written sources, and record for current and future generations individual memories and observations about a town, neighborhood, family, and friendships. Recording stories is a way for the unheard to be heard that is not based in “pedigree” rather to amplify the voices of all with a poignant story to tell.
Reflecting on life, historic episodes, culture, and mores through planned interviews conducted with
people who have participated in or observed past events whose memories and perceptions are a vital resource that beckon to be preserved for past, present and future generations.
“For ‘Phase I’ we are only able to produce about 20 interviews attempting to include diverse demographics and ethnic connections,” states Mardesich, whose family has been in San Pedro for 100 years. “If we do not preserve our local history it will be a terrible loss currently and for generations to come. Hearing first hand accounts about the lives of those who lived and thrived, spanning a century in time from the days of the great depression to the present, are tremendously valuable and important to record for posterity. We hope our effort will encourage families to begin recording their own history to pass on and anticipate adding on with more interviews for ‘Phase II’ in 2019.”
Baric’s debut film, the acclaimed documentary Port Town, has made a similar contribution presenting seven historical stories revealed by individuals who participated, as varied as San Pedro from sports victories to the venerated local fishing industry. Among his many other credits are feature documentary films A City Divided, which chronicles the history of the USC vs. UCLA football rivalry and the Emmy Award winning Bloody Thursday, PBS documentary that tells the amazing story of how Great Depression era dockworkers won their union, the ILWU; and numerous commercials, corporate videos and PSAs.
“If I went back to school I would be a history major,” reflects Baric. “The inherent drama of these meaningful moments in time is so compelling and I’m especially fascinated by the diversity of great stories in our own Harbor area stomping grounds.”
The LAHIFF, a 501c3 non-profit organization, provides potential sponsors a tax-deductible option by serving as administrator of the SOLAHA project.
For more about Gopher Crow Entertainment see www.gophercrow.com; about LAHIFF see www.laharborfilmfest.com
For more about SOLAHA and sponsorship opportunity inquiries contact Baric (310) 766-4884; email jackbaric@hotmail.com; or Mardesich. (310/) 519-0756; email stephaniemardesich@yahoo.com
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