Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea"
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Offers Global Audiences A Thoughtful View into An Imminent Environmental Time Bomb in California
(Los Angeles, CA—June 29, 2020) Eye-opening award-winning documentary "Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea" from filmmaker Greg Bassenian (“CSI: Miami”) lays bare the startling environmental disaster that is the Salton Sea in California’s coveted Coachella valley. Charting the Salton Sea’s creation in 1905 to the current devastating environmental crisis that it faces today, this harrowing journey takes the viewer into the toxic dust. As the largest lake in California begins to dry, millions of lives are in danger as clouds of toxic dust threaten the health of millions of Californians. Following in the footsteps of Al Gore’s eye opening “An Inconvenient Truth” Bassenian’s new documentary carefully plots the course of economic growth that sprouted a shimmering desert riviera laden with costly construction challenges developing into the perfect storm - creating an unstable ecosystem that now lays to waste the health of the Coachella Valley’s community as both local and federal governments look to pass the cost of fixing things onto someone other than themselves. This riveting investigative documentary will be released by Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company across North America on all VOD/Digital & Blu-Ray/DVD platforms beginning on September 22nd, 2020.
"The Salton Sea is a cautionary tale of ego, ambition and neglect that stand to impact the health of millions of people, many of them right here in Southern California. There's been a lot of said about the Salton Sea in the past, but this film sets the record straight, and we're proud to partner with Gravitas to bring it to the world. You might not believe some of what you see, but we assure you, it's all real and happening as we speak," says the film's director Greg Bassenian.
"Miracle in the Desert: The Rise and Fall of the Salton Sea" written and directed by Greg Bassenian, edited by Blake Harjes (“How to Get Away with Murder”), with an original score by Steven Gutheinz (“Why We Ride”), follows t he Salton Sea as an unfolding environmental disaster of extraordinary magnitude. As the largest lake in California begins to dry, millions of lives are in danger as clouds of toxic dust, massive fish kills and the destruction of an entire ecosystem threatens the health of millions of underrepresented minorities in Southern California, many who have no voice or little representation in the state legislature. If the state of California does not act quickly, it will be the worst environmental disaster of a generation and cause up to 70 billion dollars in health and other related damages the area and its residents. The breadth and scale of unfolding environmental disaster has thus far been swept under the rug by regional and state politicians looking to distance themselves.
“Miracle in the Desert is an interesting and informative look at how man can create, and destroy, a beautiful place,” said Brett Rogalsky, Acquisitions Coordinator at Gravitas Ventures.
Michael Weiss of AGMB negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers directly with Brett Rogalsky and Brendan Gallagher, on behalf of Gravitas Ventures, a Red Arrow Studios company.
Where to follow the film and its journey:
Website: https://www.miracleinthedesert.com/