Our co-director Sea Turtle Activist J. Nichols reviews the movie below!!
Director, Stuart Townsend does a great job mixing actual news footage with new film giving the feeling that you’re down on the street. This, I’m told, isn’t an easy thing to pull off. The result is a sort of reenactment/documentary feel that Townsend and his editors handle expertly. This is a fictionalized take on the days around the meeting and many of those who were “there” agree, it works.
No doubt, Andre Benjamin will get an Academy Award for Best Sea Turtle Activist in a Major Motion Picture for his portrayal of Django, the turtle-loving, Bobby McFarin-singing, peace-spreading, philosopher-activist.
He’s just the coolest guy in the room and kind of steals the show. Even when he is marching in a hand-made turtle costume. ESPECIALLY when he’s marching in a turtle costume.
I told him after the screening that his Django may do more for sea turtles than any character in film ever has, with the possible exception of Crush, in Finding Nemo. Andre and I had some time to bond over the turtle thing. Turns out his nickname as a kid was “Turtle” and his production company is called Moxie Turtle. Turtle geeks unite. (For those of you who are members of the International Sea Turtle Society, you’ll be proud to know that Andre now wears his Seri sea turtle Journey Bag filled with sand from 200 turtle beaches around the world. For those non-ISTS members: it’s a turtle thing)
Sea turtles were the icon for the march on Seattle. At stake were tens of thousands of turtles being caught by destructive shrimp trawlers around the world. In dispute were laws requiring all shrimp imported to the US be caught using turtle-safe nets.
In the decade that has passed since the Seattle WTO meeting things on our ocean planet have gotten even worse. We need this important film now. Non-violent protest is important. Remembering that it’s a long-standing tradition to gather together and say “NO” sometimes--it is part of our hard-earned democracy to peacefully protest injustice. That is important. The film ends with a montage of images from citizen protests around the world. Some you’ll recognize and others may be new. It’s powerful to see them all together like that. All of the people standing together, creating change. Demanding change.
For the sake of our planet and future generations, this film demands nothing less than a revolution. A hand-made revolution. For the sea turtles.
Internships for 2008
New Job and Scholarship Opportunities!!!!: Internships provide an opportunity to make a difference right now. Add your mind and your muscle to the movement pushing for a better healthier planet. Whether your interest is politics, fieldwork, policy, research, environmental justice, media, or mechanics you can place yourself squarely in the middle of a Revolution being created by hundreds of young people around the globe. You can create the environmental program as a summer counselor at Hayground Camp in the Hamptons. In Mozambique you could do underwater research for the Manta and Whale Shark Research Centre or work alongside the Bitonga Divers teaching African communities about the economic promise of sustainable eco-tourism. Maybe you're an econ major and you could do an economic study of tuna ranching in the Gulf of Mexico with Barbara Block's Tag-a-Giant or with fisheries titan Dr. Daniel Pauly at University of British Columbia. For some it might be essential to campaign for a congressional candidate that's an Ocean Champion in this election year! What about learning and creating new media, video editing and web design so you can produce pro-ocean propaganda in your own native language no matter what it is? Tree Media, creators of the11th Hour and 11th Hour Action.com is offering internships remotely or in their offices in Santa Monica. These are just some of the ways you can use your time to make a difference. Many Universities (Stanford and Duke for example) have programs to pay your expenses while you fight for what you believe in, whether it's a semester off or a summer project. Work with professionals and new leaders like yourselves determined to get the oceans we want instead of the ones we're getting. Contact
to learn more.
Ocean Revolution internships are partially underwritten by a grant from the Knight-Vision Foundation
Mozambique offers a unique study in conservation. The Madagascar Channel is one of the world's most fertile and diverse ocean environments. BiTonga Divers, Ocean Revolution along with PADI Project Aware, The Manta Ray and Whaleshark Research Centre, and Tofo Scuba have joined forces to initiate and promote a program of conservation awareness, sustainable economic development and eco-tourism through scuba in the Tofo Beach region of Mozambique.
native oceans council 2008
The 2008 Native Oceans Council consisted of fifty-three indigenous people from Australia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, and Venezuela. The interaction between these community leaders and representatives of the worldʼs leading marine research institutes, universities, large internationally based NGOʼs and government policy makers framed the science and management strategizing at the Symposium. By the numbers, one-third of all symposiumʼs presentations incorporated reflections and observations based on Traditional Knowledge. More importantly, the presence of so many ancient turtle hunting cultures that have now turned their efforts to conservation drove the participants to look deeper and enlist new allies tin the fight against the assaultive escalation of marine destruction.
"Nearly Perfect" says Critic! This afternoon 2 performances of the Narnia Play rocked the campus of Hayground Camp. Written, produced and directed by Hayden Moffat this blockbusting powerhouse starred Addie, A.J., Audrey, Justin, Orli and Zander. At the wild and crazy after party at stylish Hamptons eatery Wei Fun. A.J. presented Ocean Revolution Co-director Tim Dykman with a check for $500 and 86.04 in cash they had raised for Ocean Revolution. This brings Hayground Camp contributions to almost $1000! There's no better indication our oceans are in good hands than the contributions of this wonderful, dynamic and driven group of kids and their supportive parents. Thanks Hayground Campers!
being created by hundreds of young people around the globe. You can create the environmental program as a summer counselor at 
