Wavescapes Surf Film Festival: Surfers for Sharks
The Wavescapes Surf Film Festival kicks off this Friday, December 5th, in collaboration with the Save Our Seas Foundation. Its aim: to expand the ambitious Rethink the Shark initiative by bringing together South African surfers with marine biologists.
The Wavescapes Festival initially launched with an exhibition of award winning photographs by SOSF’s Chief Photographer Tom Peschak at the VEO Gallery in de Waterkant, which runs until Wednesday the 3rd of December. “Shark – a Photographic Journey" features
Peschak’s most renowned shark photographs enlarged to highlight the
plight of sharks, of which many species are close to collapse.
“Sharks are the most important animals in our oceans! They sit on top of the food chain and without them nature’s delicate balance will collapse,” Peschak says.
“For example, sharks control the populations of large predatory fish on coral reefs, ensuring that the numbers of smaller grazing fish remains high enough to prevent coral reefs from being smothered and killed by algae. Sharks also keep predatory rays in check, which in turn allows shellfish populations to thrive, thus ensuring healthy commercial fisheries,” says the former marine biologist.
The exhibition also features surfboards decorated by top comic, graffiti and other artists such as Konradski, Willie Bester and Mak1, which along with some of Tom Peschak’s images, will be auctioned off by comedian Mark Sampson to raise funds for the Shark Spotters and NSRI.
The film festival comprises 18 shows of the
latest and hottest surfing films at the Brass Bell in Kalk Bay and
Labia in Cape Town from Sunday 7 to 14 December, including screenings
of the feature documentary Sharkwater and Shark Angels, a short film
featuring SOSF white shark researcher Alison Kock.
For full festival details please visit the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival site.
To listen to a radio interview with Lesley Rochat discussing the festival click here. You will need RealPlayer to hear the interview. If you don't have RealPlayer already, you can download the free software here.
| The festival represents a unique attempt to
educate an audience which is continually on the cusp of the ocean
realm about the desperate global plight that sharks now find
themselves in. Wavescape’s Festival director Steve Pike commented on
the perceived irony of surfers supporting their “traditional nemesis”,
saying, “Yes, surfers are at the frontline of the ocean. We aim to
prove that healthy shark populations benefit surfers, and are not a
threat.” Chris Clarke, Executive Director of SOSF, said that this new synergy between what are often traditionally disparate groups was uniquely important “to create awareness for sharks and help pass on tips to reduce the risk of accidental encounters with the animals. We fear what we do not understand!” The Manager of SOSF’s Cape Town based Shark Centre, Lesley Rochat, went on to add, “Sharks are nature’s outcasts, they are feared and loathed, largely due to misperceptions, yet only one person in the world was killed by a shark last year. By Wavescape embracing our Rethink the Shark campaign we are confident that together we can make a difference.” |
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“Sharks are the most important animals in our oceans! They sit on top of the food chain and without them nature’s delicate balance will collapse,” Peschak says.
“For example, sharks control the populations of large predatory fish on coral reefs, ensuring that the numbers of smaller grazing fish remains high enough to prevent coral reefs from being smothered and killed by algae. Sharks also keep predatory rays in check, which in turn allows shellfish populations to thrive, thus ensuring healthy commercial fisheries,” says the former marine biologist.
The exhibition also features surfboards decorated by top comic, graffiti and other artists such as Konradski, Willie Bester and Mak1, which along with some of Tom Peschak’s images, will be auctioned off by comedian Mark Sampson to raise funds for the Shark Spotters and NSRI.
| After the exhibition, the Wavescapes Surf Film
Festival kicks off with a surf film under the stars at "the most
beautiful cinema in the world" on Clifton Fourth Beach, with a
screening of the graceful surfing film Beneath The Surface at 9pm. The
advice is to get there early, as shortly before the screening
surfboards and other cool prizes are being given away, including
hampers and DVDs from SOSF. Of the upcoming film programme Steve Pike says, "One of my favourites is Sliding Liberia, a beautifully made film about surfing in Liberia. We also have Out There, a call to surfers to protect our coastline, and a one-off screening of the Shaun Tomson film Busting Down the Door, among others”. |
|
 Outdoor screen at Clifton |
For full festival details please visit the Wavescapes Surf Film Festival site.
To listen to a radio interview with Lesley Rochat discussing the festival click here. You will need RealPlayer to hear the interview. If you don't have RealPlayer already, you can download the free software here.