Sharkwater - News
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Sharks find support far from sea
Published on: June 24, 2008
The Waterloo Record has posted an article about a group of kids who invited the producers of 'Sharkwater' to visit their school. The film was screened for the grade 7 class at Margaret Avenue Public School, and since then the students have been determined to help stop shark finning. Tyler MacLeod, the film's production manager spoke to the students.
"...Even if you don't click with the movie, click with the message," MacLeod told the students. "Be ambassadors. We're trying to start a revolution..."
Read the full article here.
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Sharkwater DVD review
Published on: May 29, 2008
UnderGroundOnline has posted a review of Rob Stewart's documentary 'Sharkwater'. The review goes over some of the alarming facts that the film covers and insists that you don't need to be a shark lover to love 'Sharkwater'.
"...Regardless if you like sharks or not, this is an amazing, eye-opening documentary. Even if you watched every Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, you'll feel like you knew nothing about sharks before watching this DVD..."
Read the full review here.
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Humans are the danger
Published on: May 28, 2008
A booming demand for shark flesh is the reason this beautiful animal is now facing extinction
The Guardian has posted an article written by Sharwater director Rob Stewart. He talks about the journey he took while making the film, his passion for sharks, and informs us of some alarming statistics along the way.
"...Each year, 100 million sharks are killed and no one bats an eyelid, largely because the public is petrified of sharks. The reality, as most divers know, is that sharks are mostly harmless to humans...."
Read the full article here.
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Sharkwater to challenge Jaws stereotype
Published on: May 20, 2008
"Movies like Jaws and Open Water portray sharks as vicious man-eaters and every year attacks on swimmers make for sensational headlines.
But Canadian underwater photographer turned filmmaker Rob Stewart is trying to change the perception of sharks as killers with his award-winning documentary, Sharkwater.
The film challenges many of the myths and historical stereotypes about creatures which pre-date the dinosaurs."
Read the rest of the article at http://www.thewest.com.au/
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Rob makes his point at Shark Bay
Published on: May 08, 2008
The Gold Coast has posted an article about 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. He recently visited Australia's Gold Coast and stopped by Sea World to dive into the shark tank unprotected. He went on to discuss the shark nets being used along the coast.
"What people don't realize is that more sharks get caught leaving than coming through the nets. A problem then occurs when the shark dies in the nets because it attracts more sharks to that area."
Read the full article here.
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Documentary sinks teeth into shark debate
Published on: May 08, 2008
The Brisbane Times has posted an interview with 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. He talks about how he set out to make a beautiful film about sharks and ended up with a documentary urging people to save sharks.
"Instead of coming back with a movie about pretty sharks, I came back with a movie about corruption and espionage and attempted murder and had to figure how on earth I was going to put all this together," he says.
The film opens next week in Australia.
Read the full interview here.
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New shark film to change perceptions
Published on: May 07, 2008
The West Australian has posted an article about 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. Stewart talks about some of the adventures encountered making the film, including being chased by coast guards with machine guns, hospitalized after almost loosing a leg, as well as his first experience with sharks as a child.
"I met my first shark when I was nine in the Cayman Islands and it was afraid of me," he says. "Every shark I met after that was afraid of me."
Read the full article here.
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Rob Stewart swims with sharks all in a day's work
Published on: May 07, 2008
MOST people would find the idea of jumping in a tank full of sharks without the protection of a cage a little crazy.
Australia's Courier Mail has posted an article about Rob Stewart's 'Sharkwater'. The director has no fear when it comes to sharks.
"I almost died six times," said Stewart. But never at the hands of sharks."
The film opens in theaters there May 15th.
Read the full article here.
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Film-maker seeks to bust popular shark myths
Published on: May 06, 2008
The popular image of the shark is of a veracious man-eating predator, which has meant that many shark species are being hunted without consideration.
ABC News has just posted a piece about Rob Stewart's documentary 'Sharkwater'. Driven by passion fed from a life-long fascination with sharks, Stewart debunks historical stereotypes and media depictions of sharks asbloodthirsty, man-eating monsters and reveals the reality of sharks as pillars in the evolution of the seas. Stewart talks about the slaughtering of sharks, ecological disasters as well as how he first fell in love with sharks.
"I started swimming with sharks as a teenager and found it was a totally life-changing experience. You get to fly in a three dimensional world with dragons."
Read the full article here.
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Why not try hug a shark?
Published on: April 28, 2008
Metro UK has just posted a piece about 'Sharkwater', directed by Canadian Rob Stewart. For Stewart, exploring sharks began as an underwater adventure. What it turned into was a beautiful and dangerous journey into the balance of life on earth.
"Sharks can see us with more than their eyes. They can sense our energy and they viewed me as a threat."
Read the full article here.
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Canadian Filmmaker On A Mission
Published on: April 22, 2008
'As a conservationist... The greatest difference that I can make is through making movies'
The Winnipeg Sun has posted an article about 'Sharwater'. Director Rob Stewart talks about his fight to save sharks, as well as the life threatening illness during the shooting of the film.
"For me as a conservationist, and as a human, the greatest difference that I can make is through making movies — because then you get millions of people seeing it. You get a whole world of attention. You get all the awards and it becomes something quite big. And I think it's become the most effective way to gain awareness."
Read the full article here.
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Shark director casts wide net
Published on: April 16, 2008
The Montreal Gazette has posted an interview with 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. Sharwater has become the largest documentart in France, opening at over 100 screens. Rob has been traveling the world ith his film, and insists the fame hasn't changed him.
"To be honest, I'm the exact same guy I was a year ago, but I have learned some lessons. After the U.S. release, I was toast. I had done the entire country in eight days, and when I got back in December, I learned what 'burnt' meant."
Read the full interview here.
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Sharkwater documentary debunks evil Jaws myth
Published on: April 02, 2008
Filmmaker dives into mystery.
The University of Western Ontario' Gazette has posted an interview with 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. The film will be released on DVD April 8th.
“Sharks are essential for global survival,” Stewart notes. “Most people don’t see that connection. Life depends on life, and there is a four billion year-old ecosystem in the ocean that is being severely damaged because of what people are doing to the shark population.”
Read the full interview here.
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Sharkwater wins Genesis Award
Published on: April 01, 2008
Rob Stewart's film 'Sharwater' won best documentary at the 22nd annunal Genesis Awards over the weekend. The Genesis awards celebrate films that highlight the plight of animals. Stewart's Sharkwater received the honour
"For reinventing the image of the ecologically important butmuch-maligned shark by highlighting its majesty through the cruel prismof shark-finning."
Read the full list of winners here.
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Pet projects honored by Humane Society
Published on: February 27, 2008
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Rob Stewart's film 'Sharkwater' is nominated for a Humane Society of the United States' Genesis Award.The full article and list of winners can be found here.
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Sharkwater - we can stop shark fin trade
Published on: February 22, 2008
The Telegraph has just posted an article written by 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. He discusses reasons why sharks are in danger as well as what inspired him to pursue his crusade to save sharks.
"I set out to make Sharkwater because I know that humans' sustainable use of the planet is inevitable, or we will cease to exist. Ninety-nine per cent of all species that ever existed are now extinct."
Read the full article here.
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Swimming with sharks (one man's unfashionable crusade)
Published on: February 12, 2008
The Independant has just interviewed 'Sharkwater' director Rob Stewart. He discusses the use of shark fins in luxury soups across Asia and the danger of Sharks becoming extinct.
"Life on land was only possible thanks to life starting in our seas and I believe the most important issue facing humanity right now is the conservation of our oceans," Stewart says."
Read the full article here.
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Culinary Cinema dishes up second course
Published on: February 12, 2008
The Hollywood Reporter announced that 'Sharkwater' will be playing at the Berlinale Film Festival in the Culinary Cinema program.
"The Berlinale's basic concept of the connection between film and food was developed during the Talent Campus in 2004, which held a short film competition for participants to produce films on the subject of taste, food and hunger. "
Find out more about Berlinale's cuilinary cinema here.
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Sharkwater: Plight of the predator sharks
Published on: February 01, 2008
The Telegraph has just posted a review of 'Sharkwater'. They give detailed insight into the issues that arrise in the film and the myth of sharks being man eaters.
"Stewart's original aim was to capture the beauty of these 'fallen gods' - his working title - in an underwater art movie. But as he learnt more about the extent of man's role in their destruction the film took on a campaigning edge, and became an undercover investigation, a wake-up call and a manifesto for change."
Read the full article here.
Watch their video of director Rob Stewart talking about the making of 'Sharkwater'
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Sharkwater receives Genie nomination
Published on: January 29, 2008
Robert Stewart's 'Sharwater' has just received a Genie nomination for Best Documentary Film. Genie Awards honor the best in Canadian film making and will be held in Toronto on March 3rd this year.
Read the full list of nominees here.
Find out more about the Genie awards.
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"Sharkwater" opens in Tulsa
Published on: January 23, 2008
Tulsa Today reports the opening of 'Sharwater' in Tulsa. Director Rob Stewart will present the film at the Oklahoma Aquarium.
Oklahoma Aquarium Curator, John Money said, "The Oklahoma Aquarium is excited the film Sharkwater and Rob Stewart are coming to Tulsa. The Aquarium is known in the industry for its cutting edge research on sharks and constantly strives to educate the public and raise awareness of growing threats to their survival."
Read the full article here.
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New Interview with Rob Stewart
Published on: November 23, 2007
This is an interview from a mag in California. 1) Where are you from? Toronto, but I spent a lot of time growing up in the Caribbean and Florida. 2) Have you always loved the oceans and the water? Yes. My parents got me a pet goldfish when I was about 1, and from that point on I was hooked. The oceans were the lost world, the last unknown realm full of creatures, monsters, and fantastic adventure. 3) You have always loved sharks since childhood, what caused the affinity? I read every book on the ocean, fish, reptiles, dinosaurs. As a kid, sharks were the last dragons and dinosaurs we have on the planet. People knew so little about them, were afraid of them and as a little boy that furthered my fascination. 4) Did your love for sharks diminish after the makings of movies such as Jaws? Jaws created a charge within me. I loved the ocean so much, but was afraid when I thought about sharks and engaged my brain in the thought around the fear. When I wasn't thinking about it the oceans were beautiful and engaging. When I heard that jaws theme song, the ocean became terrifying. I had to overcome the fear to stay in the realm that I loved the most. Discovering that sharks weren't mindless predators out to get me was liberating and life changing. 5) During childhood, did you have any inclination that you would be where you are today? Yes. I knew my life would have to be deeply involved with the ocean. I thought I'd become a marine biologist, but quickly became disinterested in beakers and labs. Then I became a scuba instructor, and found myself spending too much time in pools and classrooms. I have loved photography since my parents gave me my first underwater camera when I was 13. I photographed my pets, any animals I could find. I figured with 6 billion people on the planet, someone has to be an underwater photographer, and I went for it with everything I had. I could have never anticipated the 5 year adventure that became Sharkwater, but I always knew my life would be interesting. 5) You seem to have an impeccable knowledge of sharks, did you study sharks intensively in school? Yes. After studying zoology and animal behavior in Canada, I studied sharks at universities in Kenya and Jamaica. I also read every book on sharks and the oceans (and most other animals) as a child and try to keep up to date as an adult! 6) How long have you been diving for? 16 years. I was certified when I was 13 (the minimum age at the time) but actually convinced people to take me diving when I was 11 in mexico. 7) At what point in your life did you decide to take such a leap of faith and create this movie? I had spent 8 months working with print media trying to get the word out that sharks were being wiped out. I had set up a fund with the Charles Darwin Research Station in the Galapagos so that people reading the articles could donate directly to put patrol boats in the Galapagos to protect against poaching. We received very few donations, and I realized that people didn't care that sharks were being wiped out because they were afraid of them. I figured if I could make a film that gave people a new view of sharks, counter to Jaws, then perhaps they'd want to fight for their protection as they would for pandas, elephants and bears. I thought I'd be in it for 3-6 months, and get to choose at the end wether I'd like to be a photographer or a filmmaker.. after 5 years and numerous near deaths, I've learned more than I could have ever imagined, and am more energized than ever about making films that change our perception of the natural world. I want to make conservation cool. 8) Within the 5 years of filming Sharkwater, did you notice any significant changes in our oceans due to global warming and overfishing? Yes. It's absolutely amazing how small the oceans become when you start to recognize the same animals year after year. Some areas that once had abundant fish populations and healthy reefs, now have very little life. Much of the world's mandate is to extract as efficiently as possible. Profit is king, and there are no long term thoughts regarding the sustainability of the fishery. Reef bombing for example, uses bombs created with diesel fuel and fertilizer. They immobilize and kill the fish, but also flatten the reef and destroy the whole ecosystem. This happens all over the world, and so few people know about it because what happens in the oceans is out of sigh and out of mind. The most important issue facing the oceans is changing that. If the world knew that we waste 54 billion pounds of fish each year while 8 million people die of starvation; that every fishery will have collapsed by 2048; that 90% of all ocean going large predators are gone, everything could change in an instant just as it has changed for whales, and for holes in our ozone layer. 9) How do you feel about our earth changing so drastically? & do you think the overfishing and finning of sharks has a significant part in these changes? I think we're impacting the world in ways far beyond our ability to comprehend. The earth and human's presence on it is the result of billions of years of evolutionary complexity that by chance, culminated in a species with the power to wipe themselves off the planet, or learn to live in balance. We can't possibly comprehend the ecosystems, the layers, and the impacts of our presence here. so often shown by disasters such as the holes in the ozone layer, ddt, global warming, etc. What we're not really taking into account is the importance of LIFE. The reason there is life on land is because there was and is life in the oceans to support it. One billion years ago the planet held an incredibly hot carbon filled atmosphere, with no life on land. Because of the miracle of life, plants evolved in the ocean, and started sequestering carbon dioxide, and releasing oxygen. The new atmosphere caused the planet to cool, and life made the move to land. This relationship still exists today. 70% of the oxygen we breathe comes from life in the oceans which sits below sharks in the food chain. That very same life consumes more carbon dioxide (global warming gas) than anything else on earth. We know relatively little about the removal of large predators from ecosystems as we've traditionally eaten animals at lower levels - the herbivores. One example is the sea otter, which was hunted virtually to extinction off the west coast of North America for the fur trade. The otter's food population, sea urchins, exploded in numbers. Those urchins ate all the Pacific kelp (huge seaweed that form an underwater forest). Without the kelp, the Pacific herring (sardine like fish) had no breeding grounds, and without the herring, there were no sharks, sea lions, salmon, tuna, dolphins or whales. The ecosystems collapsed all from removing the sea otter, which as a species has only been shaping ecosystems for 7 million years. What we're doing with sharks now is removing an animal that has been sitting atop of oceanic ecosystems for over 400 million years, and the ecosystems that will be affected include our own. 10) What advice do you have for first time divers and conservationists who want to follow your footsteps and make a difference in this world? Take the first step. Get out there and make a difference any way you know how. Everyone has the power to change the world. History has been shaped by passionate individuals, and this movement even more so requires individuals to take a stand. There are innumerable ways to help, and most conservation groups and movements are understaffed and underfunded (ourselves included!). People should use their talents to effect change. If you're good at web design, design websites to engage and interlink conservationists. If you're a filmmaker, make films. etc. Its easy to get involved, it feels good, and it brings people together. There's a certain majesty in our time right now. We're a generation that's seen such huge advances in technology and what's possible for humans. We're also the generation that WILL decide to come together, change priorities, and step up like never before to ensure our own species survival. We've spent a couple thousand years building economies, industry and systems at the expense of the natural world, and inevitably ourselves. We have 6 billion people on the planet that if working together, could accomplish anything. It's my hope and mission that they unite to ensure our own survival on this planet. A planet so special that it's the only one amongst billions that holds life. That life is worth fighting for. http://www.abandonfear.com/index.php/2007/11/21/new-interview-with-rob/
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'Sharkwater' drops jaws
Published on: November 01, 2007
The San Francisco Examiner has posted a positive review of Sharkwater. A highlight for critic Anita Katz is the pairing of filmmaker Rob Stewart and conservationist Paul Watson. "Initially invited by the Costa Rican government to conduct anti-poacher boat patrols around Cocos Island, the men get caught up in a treacherous scenario involving boat ramming, gunshots, government corruption, and attempted-murder charges. Police as well as pirates pursue them. They flee for their lives."
Katz also goes onto say that "it succeeds as a shark 101 course that boosts the creature's image...The underwater footage, meanwhile, is spectacular. A scene of a cluster of hammerheads swimming near the Galapagos is particularly extraordinary."
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Sharkwater opens November 2nd
Published on: October 22, 2007
Having garnered 21 awards at film festivals around the world, filmmaker Rob Stewart's epic journey Sharkwater puts him on the front lines to save the planet. Part biologist, part investigative reporter, Stewart follows the trail of the multi-billion dollar shark fin trade and sets off a chain of events that has to be seen to be believed. His adventure becomes a dangerous mission involving espionage, corrupt governments, mafia rings, his arrest and a glimpse at his own mortality. In an effort to protect sharks, Stewart teams up with renegade conservationist Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. A confrontation between the Sea Shepherd and shark poachers in Guatemala results in a dramatic confrontation with a pirate Guatemalan fishing boat. But that's just the beginning. As they become involved in a gunboat chase, face corrupt court systems and attempted murder charges, they are forced to flee for their lives. Filmed in 15 countries in visually stunning, high definition video, Sharkwater takes you to the most shark-rich waters of the world, exposing the exploitation and corruption surrounding the world's shark populations. What one comes away with is a story about the beauty of life on earth and our role in protecting its amazing balance. Portland will get to see what the buzz is about beginning November 2nd. This release follows a successful run in Canada, where Sharkwater broke opening weekend box office records, out-grossing the opening weekends of Bowling for Columbine, March of the Penguins and An Inconvenient Truth. You'll never look at sharks in the same way again.
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Sharkwater opens in Florida September 28
Published on: September 26, 2007
In this thrilling, true-life adventure, filmmaker/director Rob Stewart survives pirate boat rammings, gunboat chases, mafia espionage and battles with corrupt governments, not only risking his life to stop the slaughter of sharks, but to save our oceans and ourselves.
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Exclaim! 'Sharkwater' Review
Published on: April 27, 2007
Exclaim! has just reviewed the documentary 'Sharwater', directed by canadian Rob Stewart.
"The evidence Stewart presents is both horrifying and heartbreaking, and is exactly the sort of exposé every shark lover/activist has been waiting for."
Read the full review here.
