Friday, September 22, 2000

WILMINGTON, NC -- Honduran Hope, the award-winning documentary by Dr. Lou Buttino, professor in UNC Wilmington's Department of Communication Studies, will air at 11 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 21 on UNC-TV as part of the North Carolina Visions series. An interview with Buttino airs following the documentary broadcast.

Written, directed and produced by Buttino, the documentary was filmed in summer 1998 and was completed that fall after Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras and Nicaragua, killing thousands and leaving millions homeless. The documentary has raised more than $40,000 for the poor in Honduras through benefit screenings, said Buttino.

This past March, the documentary won first place in the Broadcaster's Education Association (BEA) national competition. The BEA is an organization for educators, students and professionals involved in teaching and research related to radio, television and electronic media education.

"It (Honduran Hope) is also being shown repeatedly at Camp Lejeune to ready marines for humanitarian missions to Central America," said Buttino. "Plans are underway by UNC-TV to make the documentary available to schools and colleges throughout the state."

Other UNCW faculty members from the Communication Studies Department who contributed to the documentary were Dr. William Bolduc, who served as videographer; Dr. Rick Olsen, who performed voice-over narration; and Frank Trimble, who provided original music.

North Carolina Visions is a UNC-TV series that provides a showcase for the state's independent filmmakers.

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For more information, call Dr. Buttino at 910/962-7141.