Seven Mile Beach, Cayman Islands (June 15, 2017) – Recent reports show that 5 trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons are floating at sea, up to 80 percent of plastic in oceans comes from land-based sources and an estimated 5-13 million tons of plastic enter oceans each year. To educate the nation about the growing plastic pollution crisis, director, producer Linda Booker created a new documentary that exposes the negative impact of the billions of plastic straws that live in our landfills and oceans.

“STRAWS,” narrated by American actor and screenwriter Tim Robbins, charts the history of straws and reveals our culture’s current obsession with single use conveniences. Throughout the documentary, marine researchers, citizen activists and business owners discuss how it’s possible to make a sea of change through use of sustainable alternatives to plastic, such as Aardvark paper straws.

“Before diving into the research for this project, I didn’t realize something as small as a plastic straw was such a significant litter and ocean pollution problem,” said Booker. “My goal for this documentary is to make people think about how small habits can add up to huge impact. Removing plastic straws is a tangible, simple change people and businesses can do that can truly help make a difference.”

“STRAWS” will make its Caribbean premiere at the Cayman Islands International Film Festival (CayFilm) on Saturday, July 1, at 12:15 p.m., in Ballroom 3 of the Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman. A Q&A session with Booker will follow the screening, moderated by Vicki Wheaton, photojournalist for the Cayman Compass. During CayFilm’s opening and closing night galas at the Ritz-Carlton, paper straws branded with the “STRAWS” logo will be distributed in honor of the film.

On March 30, “STRAWS” had its North American premiere at the 20th Sonoma International Film Festival. This documentary marks the fourth film Booker has produced and directed. In 2014, “Bringing It Home,” Booker’s film about industrial hemp, received several festival awards, including the Jury Award at the Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival.

For more information about the screening or to contact Director/Producer Linda Booker, please email [email protected]. You can also visit www.strawsfilm.com to learn more about the film.

About “STRAWS”

Debuting in 2017, “STRAWS” is a compelling environmental documentary from filmmaker Linda Booker. Booker’s fourth film, “STRAWS,” focuses on the growing plastic pollution crisis and the negative impact plastic straws have on our environment. The documentary urges consumers to use sustainable alternatives to single use plastic products, such as paper straws. For more information visit www.strawsfilm.com.

About Aardvark

Aardvark paper straws were introduced in 2007 in response to a growing anti-plastic movement. Parent company Precision Products Group, Inc., created an environmentally friendly straw based off of the original paper straw invented in 1888 by Marvin Stone. Today, Aardvark offers printed straws, cake pop sticks and the recently launched Eco-Flex paper straws that are biodegradable, FDA-approved, durable, customizable and made in the USA. For more information, visit www.aardvarkstraws.com.