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Swarovski Presents ‘Waterschool’, a New Documentary Feature Film

Created in partnership with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Swarovski Presents ‘Waterschool’, a New Documentary Feature Film

Created in partnership with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

Published 01-24-18

Submitted by Swarovski

Following its premiere at Sundance Film Festival, Swarovski presented compelling new film ‘Waterschool’ during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, followed by a panel discussion about empowering the next generation to conserve our world’s most precious resource.

‘Waterschool’ shines a light on one of the greatest issues facing mankind: safeguarding the continuing supply of fresh water. The documentary follows the experiences of several young female students who live along six of the world’s major rivers – the Amazon, Mississippi, Danube, Nile, Ganges and Yangtze – and celebrates the work of Swarovski Waterschool, a community investment program set up in 2000 that has reached almost half a million young people through 2,400 schools worldwide.

To make ‘Waterschool’, a team of seven UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television graduate students travelled across five continents to capture the moving stories of these young girls, giving voice to the generation for whom the preservation of clean water is most pressing. Vivid, lyrical, and often poignant, the film is a reminder of the power of education – with the support of the business community – to transform lives and tackle the world’s pressing environmental issues.

‘Waterschool’ reveals how the teachers and guides of Swarovski Waterschool are empowering the growing citizens of the new era to take care of the world’s most valuable resource. The result is a powerful call to arms – for teachers and educators as much as young people themselves. As the students discover how best to husband and protect water, so they pass on their insights to their peers, parents and grandparents. 

Panel Discussion: ‘Empowering the next generation to take action’

Following a preview of the film, CNBC host Tania Bryer moderated a panel discussion titled ‘Empowering the next generation to take action’, with Nadja Swarovski, Member of the Swarovski Executive Board, Teri Schwartz, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and Co-Chair of WE charity, Mark Tercek, President and CEO of the Nature Conservancy and Lucineide Pinheiro, Founder and Director of IMEA (Instituto Mureru Eco Amazonia).

In the context of this year’s WEF theme – ‘Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World’ – the panellists discussed the role business must play in dealing with global challenges such as conserving water, how business can collaborate with governments and NGOs to achieve effective water management, how Swarovski Waterschool is creating positive change in communities, and the importance of empowering the next generation to become ambassadors for water conservation.

Nadja Swarovski, Member of Swarovski Executive Board, commented: “This project embraces principles which lie at the foundation of our philanthropic legacy – environment, female empowerment and education. The glimpses the film offers into the lives of six young women highlight some of the issues around water within different geographic regions, and will hopefully inspire communities to focus on education and enable change. I am grateful to the UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and its graduate film students for making this beautiful film about our Waterschool, under the mentorship of Dean Teri Schwartz and Lucy Walker, who have brought to bear their considerable expertise in the making of documentaries and feature films.”

Teri Schwartz, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, commented: “It has been a great honor to partner with visionary leader Nadja Swarovski and her team to create this landmark feature documentary. I am very proud of our remarkable graduate film students to whom Swarovski gave an unparalleled opportunity to create a film at the highest levels of creative excellence. Key to our School’s mission is providing diverse students with transformational opportunities to create stories that not only entertain, but also foster social impact. This amazing partnership with Swarovski underscores our shared belief in the power of story to enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world.”

Find out more about Swarovski Waterschool at www.swarovskiwaterschool.com

For more information, please contact:

Swarovski
Lindsay Kordik
lindsay.kordik@swarovski.com
+1 (212) 601-2575 

IDPR
Michael Smith
msmith@id-pr.com
+1 (646) 723-3819 

UCLA TFT
Sandy Hall
shall@tft.ucla.edu
+1 (310) 206-6835

NOTES TO EDITORS

Water has been at the heart of the Swarovski story since it was founded in 1895.

The family-run company relies on small-scale hydro-electric power at its manufacturing site in the Austrian Alps.

Swarovski recycles 70% of the water it uses to produce crystal.

The Swarovski family set up Waterschool in 2000 to teach young people about the importance of fresh water, and how to use it, conserve it and cherish it.

UCLA TFT graduate film students oversaw all areas of production of ‘Waterschool’, including directing, producing, editing, cinematography and sound.

UCLA TFT produced the documentary with Swarovski.

Nadja Swarovski and Teri Schwartz served as producers on the film.

Emmy Award-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker (Wasteland, The Crash Reel, Countdown to Zero) served as Distinguished Mentor on the project.

Emmy Award-winning composer Alex Wurman (March of the Penguins, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Temple Grandin) wrote the score for Waterschool.

About Swarovski

Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, the company designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. The Swarovski Crystal Business is run by the fifth generation of family members and has a global reach with approximately 2,800 stores in around 170 countries, more than 27,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.6 billion euros in 2016. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2016, the Group generated revenue of about 3.37 billion euros and employed more than 32,000 people. A responsible relationship with people and the planet is an integral part of Swarovski’s heritage. The global Swarovski Waterschool education program has reached 461,000 children on the world’s greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation, set up in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote wellbeing, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact. www.swarovskigroup.com

About UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television

The vision of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television is to serve as a premier global interdisciplinary professional school that develops outstanding humanistic storytellers, industry leaders and scholars whose diverse, innovative voices enlighten, engage and inspire change for a better world. Consistently ranked as one of the top entertainment and performing arts institutions in the world, UCLA TFT offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the study and creation of live performance, film, television and the digital arts. The distinguished graduate and undergraduate programs at UCLA TFT include acting, directing, writing, producing, animation, cinematography, lighting design, set design, costume design and sound design. The school also offers doctoral degrees in theater and performance studies and cinema and media studies.

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Swarovski

Swarovski

Swarovski delivers a diverse portfolio of unmatched quality, craftsmanship, and creativity. Founded in 1895 in Austria, Swarovski designs, manufactures and markets high-quality crystals, genuine gemstones and created stones as well as finished products such as jewelry, accessories and lighting. Now run by the fifth generation of family members, Swarovski Crystal Business has a global reach with approximately 2,560 stores in around 170 countries, more than 25,000 employees, and revenue of about 2.33 billion euros in 2014. Together with its sister companies Swarovski Optik (optical devices) and Tyrolit (abrasives), Swarovski Crystal Business forms the Swarovski Group. In 2014, the Group generated revenue of about 3.05 billion euros and employed more than 30,000 people. A responsible relationship with people and the planet is an integral part of Swarovski’s heritage. The global Swarovski Waterschool education programme has reached 257,000 children on the world’s greatest rivers, and the Swarovski Foundation incorporated in 2013, works to support culture and creativity, promote wellbeing, and conserve natural resources to achieve positive social impact.

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