Award-winning Sligo-Donegal film is set to reach global audiences
A SLIGO-DONEGAL documentary ‘Fair Seas: The Atlantic Northwest’, has been selected as a finalist for the American film festival ‘Big Blue’, which will take place in Oregan later this month.
The film explores the coastline from Sligo to north Donegal through its coastal communities, and was chosen from a total of 155 films submitted from 39 countries.
Twenty seven films will be shown during the ocean-themed event, and the Sligo-Donegal film will be screened during the opening session of the film festival, at Hatfield Marine Science Centre on the 27th January.
The judges said: “The film blew us away and offered an incredible glimpse into the Atlantic Ocean and its people’s stories.”
The 14-minute film features the views, stories and insights of local communities along the SligoDonegal coast who depend on the sea to make a living. It also explores how MPAs (Marine Protected Areas) might offer a new way to conserve the marine life that has supported these communities for generations. MPAs are a tool that provides muchneeded ecosystem restoration and contributes to sustainable fishing and climate change mitigation. They are safe havens for animals and plants to grow and reproduce without the threat of damaging human activities, as they can support economic activity associated with the sea.
Jack O’Donovan Trá, a marine biologist and communications officer for Fair Seas, said: “It is an incredible achievement and an honour for our film and the stories of Ireland’s coastal communities to be chosen, the festival brings together marine sciences, humanities and the arts. It aims to engage the community and raise awareness about marine issues and how these issues might be solved.”
He added: “It is important for us to be able to listen to and tell the stories of coastal communities as we campaign to protect the vital resource that is our ocean.
“New national Marine Protected Area legislation is badly needed and must be progressed as soon as possible to ensure that biodiversity is properly protected.
“The new legislation will be key to safeguarding the livelihoods of coastal communities into the future and inform key planning decisions including offshore renewable energy.”
Auriel Robinson (pictured) from Seatrails in Rosses Point, features in the film, which previously won the Exceptional Merit award at the Documentaries Without Borders International Film Festival last October.