The Smithsonian’s Sant Ocean Hall was packed for the premiere of ‘A Sea Change,’ as the 550 seats were filled and some people were turned away at the door.’ At the end, the filmmakers received a standing ovation, according to the film’s blog.
The backdrop was not Hollywood, however, and where stars would normally fill the crowd were educators, scientists and environmental enthusiasts.’ This was the premiere of ‘A Sea Change’ at the D.C. Environmental Film Festival, a film directed by Barbara Ettinger and co-produced by Sven Huseby about the impact of ocean acidification on the environment.’
‘A Sea Change’ details the pollution of our oceans resulting from the large amount of carbons in the air. The tagline for the movie is: ‘Imagine a world without fish,’ a real concern due to the rapid increase in the destruction of the oceans.
According to the film’s Web site, ‘Top scientists warn that such a catastrophe may in fact play out in coming generations unless widespread awareness is raised to stop ocean acidification.’
The film attempts to draw public concern to this environmental issue that threatens the future of our oceans and its existence for the youth of tomorrow. A Niijii Films production, cameras follow Huseby to Norway, Alaska and the Pacific Northwest to explore the research underway there.’ The film aims to engage the viewers in a relatable plot line while informing the viewer about the dangers of ocean acidification, according to the Web site.
Ocean acidification is the absorption of air pollution from cars, trains, factories, etc. by oceans.’ Then, this pollution becomes carbonic acid, which lowers the natural pH of the oceans.’ This ‘reduces the rate at which corals can produce their skeletons and at which other marine organisms can build their shells,’ according to a March 29 article from PlanetSave.com.
And, since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, there has been a 30 percent increase in the acidity of our oceans, threatening one million species with extinction according to the Web site of the film.
The increasing prevalence of this issue could cause most of the world’s fisheries to collapse.’ Right now, the global economy based on coral generates $16 trillion per year, according to the PlanetSave article.’ ‘
The movie is instigating a stir among environmentalists and skeptics alike. NBC4 (a Washington D.C. news channel) anchor Wendy Rieger blogged she could not get into the screening because the room was too crowded ‘- instead of being angry, however, she was ecstatic. She said that now she knows the film will impact the audience it was meant to reach.
Ann Hornaday from the Washington Post reviewed the film in a positive light, saying ‘And, at a time when plenty of documentaries want to be the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ of fill-in-the-issue, ‘A Sea Change’ brings a genuinely important subject to the fore with a welcome lack of jargon and preaching.’
‘A Sea Change’ will hit the West Coast at the 52nd San Francisco International Film Festival this April.
View the trailer at Fairfieldmirror.com and look for more screenings of the film on the East Coast soon.
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