‘Bluefin’ makes slash at climate change conference
Island filmmaker John Hopkins’ “Bluefin” continues to make a splash, now being screened in California during the 2018 Global Climate Change Conference. The screening also marks a triumphant return to San Francisco where “Bluefin” received the Wildlife Award at the 2017 International Ocean Film Festival. Hopkins filmed his 53-minute documentary over a period of five years at sea off North Lake, unravelling the unsettling mystery of why normally wary bluefin tuna no longer fear humans, using stunning cinematography to tell the story. Astonished fishermen and scientists offer conflicting explanations as to why the tuna are turning into pets. These powerful creatures, which can grow up to 15 feet in length, are now so strangely friendly and abundant that they will literally eat out your hand. “‘Bluefin’ will turn everything you thought you knew about these incredible giants on its tail. It’s really the first film that sees an ocean fish as the wild animal it is, a thousand-pound, warm-blooded giant with gills that wholesales at up to a million dollars ... We’ve seen Blackfish, The Cove and Sharkwater but up to now Bluefin tuna have been completely off our radar. We are wired to think of them only as food, not extraordinary wildlife. It’s time we finally understood what these incredible creatures truly are,” said Hopkins. The screening at the conference follows “Bluefin’s” successful run on the international festival circuit with 24 official selections, while also winning the Grand Award for Best Documentary at the California Film Awards, San Diego.