The collective cry and the need to protect the Canary Islands will travel throughout Europe alongside Volume 11 of the International Ocean Film Tour, which begins this Sunday at the Guiniguada Theater in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to then visit a score of cities in Spain and has over 220 dates across the continent.
This was highlighted on Thursday during the presentation of the premiere in the capital of Gran Canaria, which is already sold out and will have the director of the Canarian short film ‘Nika, the tropical pilot whale’, José Hernández, and the co-director/protagonist, Felipe Ravina, as special guests.
This is the first time that a Canarian short film leads the continental tour, with a profoundly current work that denounces a system that has led the archipelago to live threatened by overexploitation of tourism, pollution, and the looting of resources by a productive and economic model that is predatory to the territory.
Here, Felipe Ravina explained that it is an «honour to participate in the festival» and a dream to «headline» the event because «it is very important that the most important marine festival in Europe has a 100% Canarian film as its protagonist», which is undoubtedly «very exciting».
Likewise, he emphasized that this international festival is a sign that «people are interested» and are concerned about this critical situation affecting marine biodiversity, leading to mobilization on all fronts.
‘NIKA, THE TROPICAL PILOT WHALE’
‘Nika, the tropical pilot whale’ narrates the special connection of a specimen with Ravina and the team, a four-year relationship that allows the audience to empathize to show «the flip side of tourism success and why we need to raise our voices» for a common goal of «reflecting, conveying, and trying to change things».
In the Canary Islands, 90% of the fish stock has been lost, and there are over 100,000 fishing licenses, without limitations and without enough protected areas, so if action is not taken, the situation will only worsen.
On the other hand, from Kinema Producciones, Chema Moreno, highlighted that this festival uses «the sea as the common thread with audiovisuals as a tool for environmental awareness to contribute to the achievement of the various important Sustainable Development Goals».
This is the 11th edition, which means «many years of conveying this message in the Canary Islands, where the national tour premieres, and in twenty cities across Spain».
Finally, the City of Sea councilor, Pedro Quevedo, shared the same idea, emphasizing the importance of taking action and pointing out that in the case of Las Canteras Beach, specific limitations «have allowed us to currently have over 100 species growing» in the bay.
«This is just a glimpse of the new policies being implemented by the capital, which must preserve what makes it unique. The Canary Islands have historically suffered from poorly managed tourism, in a fragile territory with a population that is highly conscious and denounces the impact of the 16 million people and population growth,» he observed.
INTERNATIONAL OCEAN FILM TOUR
The International Ocean Film Tour, a pioneering project by the Canarian production company Kinema Producciones, closely linked to the SDGs and citizen awareness, will screen five life stories, with messages, told face to face to stir emotions and provoke thoughts.
This includes ‘Trilogy New Wave’, an American production that brings together three of the world’s best surfers (Ethan Ewing, Griffin Colapinto, and Seth Moniz) in a story of love for the sport, friendship, and competition; ‘Row of Life’ follows former Paralympic athlete Angela Madsen as she narrates her latest and greatest adventure in pursuit of her lifelong dream; and ‘Kelp!’, a British production that explores the powerful potential of kelp, a seaweed that could revolutionize agriculture, fishing, and biofuels, dubbed the ‘green gold of the seas’.
The Canadian work ‘7 Beats per Minute’ dives with world freediver Jessea Lu, exploring the limits of the human body; and ‘Nika, the tropical pilot whale’, on the other hand, delves into the waters of Tenerife to show the extraordinary bond between humans and animals, which will challenge our idea of the ‘Fortunate Islands’ to make us reflect on the human impact on the ecosystem, on the territory, with a productive model that turns its back on nature and shakes the promise of a sustainable future in the archipelago.
