August 24
7:30 p.m.
San Francisco Film Society Cinema
1746 Post St.
San Francisco, CA 94115

Hosted by: John Maringouin Surgery Fund

This special screening of the documentary Big River Man is a benefit for it’s maker, John Maringouin, who is in desperate need of surgery immediately! Typical of the American health care system, Maringouin is currently without insurance, but is in dire need of an operation to remove a tumor from his lung.

If you cannot attend this screening, but want to donate to the John Maringouin Surgery Fund, please visit their fundraising site at Give Forward. Along with Give Forward, all proceeds from the screening will go to the surgery fund. (The Give Forward site also gives all the details about Maringouin’s situation.)

Big River Man is Maringouin’s 2009 feature-length documentary that tells the insane true story of Slovenian championship swimmer Martin Stel who attempted to become the first person in history to swim the entire length of the Amazon river.

Although overweight, alcoholic and well into his fifties, Stel is nonetheless absolutely determined to accomplish his goal after having successfully swam the Mississippi, the Danube and the Yangtze.

The film won the World Cinema Cinematography Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

It sounds and looks like an incredibly fun film, but if you’re in the S.F. area, please just go to help out Maringouin — or at least drop a couple bucks on Give Forward.