Sharkwater Productions and Diatribe Films present an 89 minute PG rated documentary written and directed by Rob Stewart and featuring Rob Stewart, Patrick Moore, Erich Ritter, Paul Watson, Boris Worm and a cast of spectacular aquatic and land wildlife.
The ultimate truth will surface about the predators of the sea and that of the predators on land known as man. Truly after seeing this phenomenal film you will never look at sharks the same way let alone the corrupt powers of government. It is the passion of people like Rob Stewart who reaches out with a film like this to educate, enlighten and inform people of the true beauty of the deep. After attending this screening it was also a great pleasure to shake hands personally with Rob and part of his crew. It is filmmakers like Rob that are out to change the way we look at life and the world in which we share with all of the creatures that swim, fly and walk on this mother planet known as earth.
Rob, a young and attractive man has always had a love for the water. Since two thirds of the world is covered by it he has his work cut out for him in educating mankind of the over eighty percent of species that call the ocean home. He covers many facts throughout this documentary mixed in with some raw footage, classic movies and breath-taking cinematography under the ocean depths that will make you smile, laugh and even shed a tear. Moments that will make your eyes fill with wonderment and at other times make your heart ache with anger for the way man mistreats our circle of life.
Sharks have been around 150 million years before dinosaurs. It takes them 25 years to reach maturity leaving them with the prospect of having very few young. As a diver Rob must remain fearless since many of the shark species are able to sense his emotions under the water. Rob has learned to put his total trust in the shark and in return has been honored with the same. It is the media and the lack of education that has made the human species so fearful of this magnificent creature. I'm sure we all remember the film, "Jaws" and like the stories in the news especially lately about pit bulls the media finds it most important to sensationalize that of a rare shark attack. You constantly see organizations for save the pandas, elephants or bears but what about the sharks that are being killed by the thousands each hour of the day.
In the film, Rob shows the audience the beauty of the Galapagos Islands and the creatures that forage the land and sea accompanied by a very spiritual score. He takes the movie viewer into new depths making them feel that they are diving right by his side along with tropical fish, harp seals, sea turtles and of course hundreds of sharks. All the time watching this film I wish I was with him by his side personally sharing in this glorious known and somewhat unknown world. I truly envied the fact that he was able to respectfully encounter such a breath-taking world and bring it to the mainstream big screen.
Along with the beauty of this world there are horrific moments of cruel and illegal crimes committed against not only the sharks of our oceans but seals, whales, turtles and more. Long lines by fisherman that cause all types of marine life to suffocate, that of the shark fin trade, hunters like Vic Hislop that kill the endangered Great Whites. Very few people are killed by sharks in a year, pretty much you can count on one hand but guns, drugs and cars kill much more in an hour of a day throughout our cities.
In Costa Rica, Rob joins forces with Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd Society and battles poachers throughout the international waters. This leads him to near arrest and death since the illegal and brutal killings of sharks for their fins is such a thriving business especially in Asia at $200 a pound. In China and Hong Kong a bowl of shark fin soup sells for $90. The fins are a symbol of status for many who believe they will cure them of illness and disease but truthfully since we pollute our oceans they can potentially cause more harm to the human anatomy. Only that of the drug traffic business rivals that of shark fins for profit. It is truly the first time in over 400 million years that sharks are prey by the greed of mankind.
Not even a turn for the worst for this young filmmaker was able to stop him. Faced with an attack of a flesh eating disease to one of his legs in which he could have had it amputated he still fought body and soul to help the dwindling shark population now at ninety percent. Life on land including his own ultimately depends on life in the sea. To quote Paul Watson, "we are primates out of control". This film is a realistic glimpse into just how far! It is the passion of individuals that can make change not that of government. Each week I host my national radio program it is the passion that makes me strive to educate and hopefully help in the plight of saving this worlds truly beautiful creatures, the animals. I look forward to having Rob Stewart as a guest on my program and a new friend in which to share his message. I ask that everyone make a concerted effort to support this brilliant masterpiece of a documentary when it comes to a theatre near you. Congrats Rob, I'm sure you'll receive a Genesis Award for this one along with a deserving Oscar nod.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch.