priorLIFE recycles banners into collectible products for local, famed film festival

TRAVERSE CITY, MICH., JULY 23, 2009 – Own a piece of Traverse City Film Festival history!

The Traverse City Film Festival, founded by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore and now in its fifth year, has partnered with priorLIFE to create new Film Festival messenger bags made out of recycled banners.

priorLIFE is a company that refabricates old banners into collectible merchandise and accessories such as tote bags, wallets, and more. The Film Festival messenger bags were specifically designed to commemorate its fifth anniversary.

“Film Festival attendees are always asking us for more collectible merchandise. This was the perfect opportunity to provide a new product that also carries part of the Film Festival history along with it,” said Mark Jensen, merchandise manager for the Traverse City Film Festival. “We’re hoping to have a few signed by Michael Moore!”

The Film Festival priorLIFE products can be found at the Traverse City Film Festival retail shop on Front St. during the weeklong event July 28 through August 2 and at http://www.traversecityfilmfest.org.

 “We’re so excited to be working with the Traverse City Film Festival and to be part of their green initiatives,” said Pam Klumpp, priorLIFE director. “The messenger bags were specifically designed for the Film Festival’s fifth anniversary and we plan to utilize new designs each year, making them unique to the festival that they represent.”

priorLIFE bags are also sold online through priorLIFE.com and select local retailers: Garden Goods, Horizon Books, The Cherry Stop and Rebecca’s Closet in Traverse City, Green Goodness in Leland and The Painted Bird in Suttons Bay. All priorLIFE products are produced in Michigan.

About the Traverse City Film Festival

The Traverse City Film Festival is a charitable, educational, nonprofit organization committed to showing "Just Great Movies" and helping to save one of America's few indigenous art forms -- the cinema. The festival brings films and filmmakers from around the world to northern Michigan for the annual film festival in late July to early August, and also owns and operates a year-round, community-based, mission-driven art house movie theater, the State Theatre. The festival was founded by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Michael Moore, who runs the festival and serves as the President of the Board of Directors. The other board members are photographer John Robert Williams and New York Times best-selling author Doug Stanton, both Traverse Citians, and filmmakers Larry Charles (director, "Borat"), Terry George (director, "Hotel Rwanda"), Sabina Guzzanti (director, "Viva Zapatero!"), and Christine Lahti (actor, "Running on Empty").

About priorLIFE

priorLIFE gives signs and banners a new life after their practical life is complete. The company refabricates the banners into tote bags, messenger bags, wine bags, wallets and more. Every priorLIFE product also tells the story of its “prior life,” detailing where the sign or banner hung, adding to its collectible appeal. Visit www.priorLIFE.com for more info.

priorLIFE is a subsidiary of Britten Banners. The leading provider of high-quality, large-format, banner and display solutions, Britten has been a trusted partner of some of the world’s best-known and most discerning companies, helping them gain international brand visibility and credibility for more than 20 years. At its 125,000-square-foot facility in Traverse City, Michigan, Britten continues to drive the cutting edge in banner design, production and installation.