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Director MY HERO International Film Fest
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DOCUMENTARY WINS MY HERO’S 2016 SYLVIA EARLE OCEAN CONSERVATION AWARD SPONSORED BY ONE WORLD ONE OCEAN
LAGUNA BEACH, CA – 06/10/16 - INVISIBLE OCEAN: Plankton & Plastic, a 9-minute documentary, is the winner of the 2016 Sylvia Earle Ocean Conservation Award. The award is named for world-renowned oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle, who is one of the worlds leading voices for protecting the world's oceans. The Sylvia Earle Award is presented each year by the One World One Ocean Campaign, in which Earle serves as principal advisor.
Emily Driscoll, the film’s director, is founder of BonSci Films, a production company that specializes in science and art documentaries. Her films include SHELLSHOCKED: Saving Oysters to Save Ourselves (2011) and BUGGED: The Race to Eradicate the Asian Longhorned Beetle (2010). Driscoll’s films have screened at museums, universities and film festivals around the world, as well as on PBS stations in the United States.
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| Emily Driscoll - Director of Invisible Ocean: Plankton & Plastic |
“It's wonderful news that the message about microplastics in the ocean and the artwork of Mara Haseltine, along with research and photography of Christian Sardet and Mark Anthony Browne is helping to communicate this invisible threat faced by all organisms on the planet,” said Driscoll. “When scientists and artists work together, I think people can relate to the information and research on multiple levels, which hopefully leads people to appreciate and protect the ocean!”
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| Artist Mara Haseltine in the film INVISIBLE OCEAN: Plankton & Plastic |
The film follows Environmental Artist Mara G. Haseltine, as she joins a two-year mission to study the health of the oceans, Haseltine made a grim discovery while gathering samples of from various parts of the world.
“As I collected more and more plankton samples, I found tiny shreds of plastic in all of them, no matter how remote the location was,” says Haseltine in the film. “Ocean and Seas that looked completely pristine actually had plastic in them.”
Haseltine’s finding prompted her to build a sculpture that shows the profound effect of the microscopic ocean world on all of Earth’s lifeforms.
“It may not be the visible plastic pieces that are the most worrisome but the tiny plastic particles like fibers, from a shirt that you wash that may be the most worrisome,” said Christian Sardet, a French cell and molecular biologist who . “Because these particles might get into the tissues of the planktonic organisms, fish and, eventually, in our tissues. We really don’t know much about this danger.”
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| Artwork by Mara Haseltine |
One World One Ocean was founded by MacGillivray Freeman Films to raise awareness of ocean degradation and to inspire action by showing how amazing the ocean can be in its wild and healthy state.
“I've been a longtime fan of how MacGillivray Freeman Films communicates critical issues facing our ocean,” said Driscoll. “Sylvia Earle is also a hero of mine, so it's thrilling to have the award named after her. Thank you for providing a forum to showcase films, connect people, and show critical issues facing the planet in an engaging and inspiring way.”
Driscoll will receive the award at the MY HERO International Film Festival's Award Ceremony, which will be held on November 19th. The festival, which is celebrating its 12th year, showcases short films, with a heroic theme, from around the world. The event will take place at the Herb Alpert Educational Village in Santa Monica.
Submissions and nominations of short films in several genres are currently being accepted for the festival. Filmmakers of all ages and levels of experience are invited to apply. Click here for more information or to submit or nominate a film.
Page created on 6/10/2016 5:28:22 PM
Last edited 11/14/2018 10:44:11 PM
