A marine biologist who splashed into the water in Belize to snorkel among the coral reefs and emerged with inspiration for a "Crittercam" is coming to Pittsburgh.

	The Aug. 24 program at Schenley Plaza will include "Last Stand of the Great Bear." Click photo for larger image.

Greg Marshall, who pioneered the technology allowing humans to see what a penguin, shark or bear experiences, will talk before a screening of "Bear Island Crittercam" later this month. It's one of five National Geographic films that will be shown, under the night sky, on the lawn at Schenley Plaza, fresh from its $10 million transformation. Admission is free.

The series kicks off with "Wolf Pack" at 9 p.m. Thursday. It's the story of the first group of gray wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone Park 50 years after the species disappeared due to hunting, poisoning and trapping. They establish themselves as alpha predators amid the magnificent mountains and valleys.

"Bear Island Crittercam" will screen at 9 p.m. July 27, with Marshall appearing at 8:30 p.m. and sharing bonus footage of whales, seals, penguins and other creatures captured on Crittercam.

He was inspired to invent the Crittercam while snorkeling in Belize. He spotted a type of fish called a remora stuck to the side of a shark and began thinking about the perspective granted that underwater hitchhiker. What if a camera were small and light enough to do the same thing, he wondered.

Marshall joined National Geographic Television and pioneered Crittercam, a remote camera that attaches benignly to an animal and documents life from its perspective, recording video, hydrophonic audio, depth, temperature, light level and velocity. The technology was used in the Oscar-winning "March of the Penguins."

A two-time Emmy winner for cinematography and sound, Marshall is executive producer/director, remote imaging for National Geographic Television and Film.

"Stalking Leopards," a South African adventure that promises spectacular nocturnal hunting scenes, will be shown at 9 p.m. Aug. 10. The Aug. 24 program will offer a 9 p.m. double feature of "Flying Devils," about a bird of prey native to the Falkland Islands, and "Last Stand of the Great Bear," which takes watchers to the Great Bear Rainforest on the west coast of British Columbia.

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, as part of Pittsburgh Roars and in partnership with the city of Pittsburgh, is presenting the films. Go to www.schenleyplaza.org for a complete list of events at Schenley Plaza.

Eat, drink, man, woman

A party next Friday at Pittsburgh Filmmakers will combine some of the city's best Italian artisan foods, the people who make them and the food writers who write about them, as a warm-up for an array of short films about ... food.

Now in its 10th year, Slow Food on Film is an annual film-video festival based in Italy. Hundreds of shorts are submitted each year, and seven winners are making the rounds of select North American cities, including Pittsburgh.

A group called Slow Food Pittsburgh, whose mission includes "working for a better local food supply, preserving heritage foodways and restoring the ceremony of the table," is co-sponsoring the screenings here.

An opening night party will feature wine, along with cheeses, meats, savory tortas, dessert and coffee from Parma Sausage, Pennsylvania Macaroni, Il Piccolo Forno and La Prima Espresso. Cost is $25 and includes admission to the films at Filmmakers' Melwood Screening Room, 477 Melwood Ave. in North Oakland.

To reserve a spot for the reception, at 6:30 p.m. July 14, call 412-343-7354 or email vredpath@aol.com and plan to pay at the door. Admission to the films only, which start at 8 p.m. July 14 and July 15, is $6.

The two-hour program includes: "We Are What We Lost," a Serbian homage to the relationship of food, memory, loss and love; "L'Age de Raison," a French portrait of a young girl struggling to understand religious restrictions on foods; "The True Cost of Food," an animated cartoon about an American family in a supermarket checkout line where they pay the "true" cost of food, including damage to the environment caused by agribusiness. Other shorts are from Germany, Japan, Colombia and Sweden.

See www.slowfoodpgh.com for more details on the sponsoring group and go to www.pghfilmmakers.org for directions to Melwood, located under the "About Us" button.

'Jitneys' premieres

A scruffy jitney station in the Hill District provided the backdrop for one of August Wilson's celebrated plays, and another Pittsburgher now tackles the subject in documentary form.

"Jitneys in Pittsburgh," a 30-minute film, will premiere July 15 at 7 p.m. at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh in Homewood.

Filmmaker and Pittsburgh native Loretta Robinson explores the history of jitneys in the city and interviews drivers from the Hill District, Homewood and East Liberty who transport passengers who often will not -- or cannot -- find other ways to get around the city. She looks at what jitneys mean to both residents and merchants.

The library is located at 7101 Hamilton Ave., and parking will be available in the YMCA lot on Kelly Street. Tickets are $7 in advance, $10 at the door. Call 412-403-7815 or 412-913-5581. A discussion and reception will follow the screening.

Submissions wanted

The Pennsylvania Association of Independent and Neighborhood Theatres or PAINT is looking for short, animated, documentary and full-length films for its first film festival.

To qualify, filmmakers must be from Pennsylvania or be a graduate of a Pennsylvania institution of higher learning. "We also welcome films produced in Pennsylvania or that center on a Pennsylvania plot, person or location," spokesman Marty Schiff says.

Other rules: The film must not have had a major theatrical release or have one pending; it must be complete (no works in progress); shorts must be longer than five minutes; and any distribution agreement must allow for free festival screenings.

Filmmakers should submit their film on DVD, preferred, 16mm or 35mm by July 28 to Marty Schiff, executive director, State Theatre, 27 E. Main St., Uniontown 15401. PAINT will review submissions in early August and pick a slate of films that will travel around the state to participating theaters.

'United 93' on DVD

The first half of the year is usually a drought when it comes to Top 10 possibilities, but "United 93" could turn up on many lists, including mine. If you missed it or didn't think you could watch in a theater crowded with strangers, you can view it on DVD Sept. 5.

"United 93," one of the best reviewed releases of the year, tells the story of United Airlines Flight 93, how it was taken over by hijackers on 9/11 and how the passengers and crew fought back.

Writer-director Paul Greengrass aimed for a "believable truth" about what happened that day, based on interviews, flight recordings, public records, final phone calls and improvisation on the part of the cast, rooted in their research and rehearsal.

The DVD will include a 50-minute documentary featuring the insights of eight families who lost loved ones and the actors who play them. The movie, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, will be priced at $29.98 and also available for rental.