Wild Ocean Wins Earthwatch 2009 Film Award

Earthwatch is pleased to announce that Wild Ocean, a production of Giant Screen Films and the creators of STOMP, is the recipient of its 23rd annual Film of the Year Award, given in cooperation with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital and The Smithsonian Associates.

This the first time Earthwatch has awarded a giant-screen film. A special screening, panel discussion and award ceremony - open to the public - will take place on March 19 at the Smithsonian’s Samuel C. Johnson IMAX Theater at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Panelists include:

• Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, Wild Ocean Directors
• Philippe Cousteau Jr., Oceanographer and President and CEO of EarthEcho
• Dr. Clapperton Mavhunga, Earthwatch Scientist and MIT Professor
• Edward Wilson, President and CEO of Earthwatch Institute

The Earthwatch Film Award is given as a celebration of science and film working together to increase environmental awareness and understanding. This year’s event is part of a year-long, international Oceans Campaign for Earthwatch that will help people across the globe to answer the call to action made in Wild Ocean.

“Wild Ocean is a perfect demonstration of why Earthwatch has a film award: full of artistry, passion, and hope for a healthier planet, it inspires a wide range of audiences to gain greater knowledge about and feel greater passion for the oceans that sustain us," said Wilson.

Wild Ocean - presented by Nokia - celebrates the unusual story of a healthy ecosystem off the coast of South Africa where massive shoals of sardines have traveled to the shores of “The Wild Coast,” providing a food source for aquatic species and people, too.

"We are thrilled that Earthwatch has chosen to recognize Wild Ocean," said Don Kempf, President of Giant Screen Films and one of the film’s producers. "This honor will help us in our efforts to bring the film and its important messages to audiences worldwide-and move them to take action."

Cresswell and McNicholas describe how they were inspired by the Wild Coast’s aquatic circle of life and moved to make a difference: “Making Wild Ocean opened our eyes to how easily the balance of a healthy ecosystem can be disrupted by climate change and how all nations must act now, not to preserve the ocean's riches, but to resurrect them.”

Other filmmakers who have won the Earthwatch award in the past include Sir David Attenborough, Dr. David Suzuki, and most recently Leonardo DiCaprio’s The 11th Hour.

"Wild Ocean highlights what's at stake for all of us in the struggle to better understand our oceans. As we witness the global impacts of unsustainable harvesting of marine resources, pollution, and coastal habitat loss being compounded by climate change, Wild Ocean makes a stronger case for a global investment in ocean science and conservation efforts," said Nat Spring, Senior Research Director for Earthwatch.