This week the IST Environment Group has worked together to give you documentary marathon! Since we are currently working on SDG 14: Life Below Water, all of these documentaries are ocean-themed. We hope you enjoy watching them as much as we did and learn something about our fishy-friends...
Mission Blue (Netflix)
This documentary follows Oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle’s campaign to save the world’s oceans from threats such as over-fishing, toxic waste and global warming. It took four years to make and is an eye-opening wake-up call to save our oceans. The film goes from Sylvia’s earliest memory exploring the ocean as a young girl to her days leading daring undersea missions. It explores the difficulties, sacrifices and tough decisions she took along her way. The documentary is a fantastic insight into the Oceanographer’s personal and professional life.
A Plastic Ocean (Netflix)
A Plastic Ocean is a documentary available on Netflix. It took place over four years and showcases twenty locations worldwide. The narrator talks about the effects of the accumulating plastic in our oceans that have drastic effects on our planet. We have been mass producing plastic for years and because only a fraction of it gets recycled, the rest ends up in the ocean. This documentary shows us the beautiful oceans and sea life. But, it then contrasts them with the horrifying images of heavily polluted areas as well as interviewing experts for more detailed information to educate and inspire its' viewers.
A Life On Our Planet (Netflix)
A Life on Our Planet is the most recent documentary by David Attenborough. This was quite an emotional documentary as David Attenborough talks through his life and the change he has witnessed. Drawing from personal experience, he discusses how our planet is changing for the worst, but he does suggests how we can fix it. He has dedicated his whole life to the understanding of nature and is one of the most influential Eco-warriors who campaign for action against global warming. Specifically, he talks about our oceans, they are the key to our survival. We need to reduce over-fishing, reduce melting in the polar regions and protect marine wildlife. It is a fantastic watch and we thoroughly recommend it. It is available on Netflix.
Frozen Planet: On Thin Ice (netflix & bbc)
Frozen Planet is a British nature documentary series, available on Netflix, co-produced by the BBC and narrated by David Attenbourough. The documentary is a mini-series, focusing on the life and the environment at the Arctic and Antarctic poles. The production team was eager to produce a comprehensive record of the history of the polar regions, and covers how climate change, global warming and rising sea levels is affecting oceans worldwide. This documentary is highly recommendable and definitely worth watching!
Blue Planet & Blue planet ii (BBC)
David Attenborough’s documentary, Blue Planet, explores Earth’s oceans, from the poles to the tropics. The filmmakers captured footage of different marine animals, including well-known ones like Blue Whales, and some less well-known ones that have never been filmed before. Attenborough returns with Blue Planet II, which focuses on some of the rarer and more unusual ocean creatures, as well as the habitat they live in, featuring a lake deep in the ocean.
Blackfish
Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, an orca captured from the wild at a young age and forced to perform at SeaWorld. This documentary-film explores the psychological effect captivity has on these animals and why this led to the death of three trainers. Blackfish puts into question the purpose of these animals being held in captivity for the sole purpose of human entertainment. As well as the problems with the sea-park industry and big corporations such as SeaWorld who exploit and cause great stress and harm to these animals through their cruel treatment.
My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)
In 2010, Foster began free-diving in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa. He started by filming his experiences and then he found an octopus that caught his attention. He visited her den and tracked her movements for months and was able to win her trust.
By visiting her den and tracking her movements every day for months, he won the animal’s trust. In the film, Foster describes the impact on his life of his relationship with the octopus.
The film shows the octopus defending itself from a shark. In one attack, the octopus loses an arm, and then retreats to her den to recover, regenerating the arm. I don’t want to spoil it too much, the documentary carries on to follow the octopus around in its daily life.
Foster then describes the effect of his experience with the octopus on his relationship with his son, and his son's development as a diver and student of marine life.
Abzu (Game)
Finally, I bring to the table a game. You’re bound to be a bit exhausted after watching all of these documents on some quite heavy topics. This game is available on steam and the Nintendo switch (where I’ve had the pleasure of playing it!) In the game, you are a deep sea diver accompanied by two adorable machines that help unlock doors along the way. However, sometimes these machines break and you must repair them by finding their parts in the vibrant environment around you. This is where you can discover all sorts of the plentiful sea life like enormous humpback whales, adorable manatees and complex schools of fish. Along with the dreamy scenery and music score - you’re guaranteed a calming and awe inspiring experience.