THE  LAST  OCEAN  

   

     

PRESSKIT  [download  at  www.levelk.dk]  

 

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 THE  LAST  OCEAN  PRESSKIT      The  Last  Ocean   lifts   the   lid   on   commercial   fishing   in   the  most   pristine  marine   ecosystem  on  Earth,  the  Ross  Sea,  Antarctica,  and  follows  the  fight  to  protect  this  last  untouched  ocean  from  humanity’s  insatiable  appetite  for  fish.    

   

SHORT  SYNOPSIS    

The  Ross  Sea  Antarctica  is  the  most  pristine  stretch  of  ocean  on  Earth.  Scientists  describe  it  as  our   last   'living   laboratory',   a   place   that   can   teach   us   about   the   workings   of   all   marine  ecosystems.   But   the   fishing   industry   recently   found   its   way   to   the   Ross   Sea,   targeting  Antarctic  Toothfish  and  unless  stopped,  the  natural  balance  of  this  unique  ecosystem  will  be  lost   forever.  The   Last   Ocean   follows   the   race   to   protect   the   Ross   Sea   from   our   insatiable  appetite   for   fish,   and   raises   the   simple   ethical   question:   do  we   fish   Earth’s   last   untouched  ocean  or  do  we  protect  it?      

 

LONG  SYNOPSIS      The  Ross  Sea,  Antarctica  is  the  most  pristine  stretch  of  ocean  on  Earth.  A  vast,  frozen  landscape  that  teems  with  life  -­‐  whales,  seals  and  penguins  carving  out  a  place  on  the  very  edge  of  existence.  Californian  ecologist  David  Ainley  has  been  traveling  to  the  Ross  Sea  to  study  this  unique  ecosystem  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  has  written  scientific  papers  describing  it  as  a  ‘living  laboratory’.  Largely  untouched  by  humans,  it  is  one  of  the  last  places  where  the  delicate  balance  of  nature  prevails.  But  an  international  fishing  fleet  has  recently  found  its  way  to  the  Ross  Sea.  It  is  targeting  Antarctic  Toothfish,  sold  as  Chilean  Sea  Bass  in  up-­‐market  restaurants  around  the  world.  The  catch  is  so  lucrative  it  is  known  as  white  gold.  Ainley  knows  that  unless  fishing  is  stopped  the  natural  balance  of  the  Ross  Sea  will  be  lost  forever.  He  rallies  his  fellow  scientists  and  meets  up  with  a  Colorado  nature  photographer  and  New  Zealand  filmmaker  who  also  share  a  deep  passion  for  this  pristine  corner  of  the  world.  All  want  to  stop  fishing  and  protect  this  last  pristine  ecosystem.  Together  they  form  ‘the  Last  Ocean’  and  begin  a  campaign  taking  on  the  commercial  fishers  and  governments  in  a  race  to  protect  Earth’s  last  untouched  ocean  from  our  insatiable  appetite  for  fish.  

 

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AWARDS    Winner,  Best  Feature,  Reel  Earth  Environmental  Film  Festival    Winner,  Best  Science  Communication  Film,  Reel  Earth  Environmental  Film  Festival    Winner,  Best  Call2Action  Film,  Boulder  International  Film  Festival      Winner,  Royal  Reel  Award  Documentary,  Canada  International  Film  Festival    Winner,  Best  Documentary,  Real  to  Reel  International  Film  Festival    Winner,  Moving  Mountains,  Mountainfilm  in  Telluride    Peter  Young,  Winner  Independent  Producer  of  the  Year,  New  Zealand  Screen  Producers  Association          OFFICIAL  SELECTION      New  Zealand  International  Film  Festival  Washington  DC  Environmental  Film  Festival    Calgary  International  Film  Festival    International  Wildlife  Film  Festival,  Missoula,  Montana  Green  Screens  Festival,  Lincoln  Center,  New  York    Seattle  International  Film  Festival  Santa  Barbara  International  Film  Festival  Boulder  International  Film  Festival  San  Francisco  International  Film  Festival  Green  Film  Festival  Seoul    Cleveland  International  Film  Festival  Yale  Environmental  Film  Festival  Melbourne  Environmental  Film  Festival  Mountain  Film  Telluride  Newport  Film    PariScience  –  International  Science  Film  Festival  Reel  Earth  Environmental  Film  Festival                    

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REVIEWS    "A  frightening  omen  of  our  planet’s  future,  told  with  truth,  humour  and  brittle,  ephemeral  beauty"    Melenie  Parkes,  Yahoo  Entertainment  NZ    “Peter  Young’s  ravishing  footage  lends  emotive  force  to  his  detailed  account  of  the  case  against  fishing  Antarctic  waters.”  Bill  Gosden,  NZ  Film  Festival    “I  hope  you  will  inspired  by  this  movie.”  US  Secretary  of  State,  John  Kerry    “Peter  Young’s  ravishing  footage  lends  emotive  force  to  his  detailed  account  of  the  case  against  fishing  Antarctic  waters”.  Bill  Gosden,  New  Zealand  International  Film  Festival    

   “Spectacular,  informative,  and  urgent”    

 “Through  Peter  Young’s  lens,  the  Antarctic  looks  wild  and  wonderful”  Graeme  Tuckett,  Dominion  Post    

 "Young's  film  is  absorbing,  politically  and  ecologically  informative,  nightmarish,  and  excellent,  albeit  disturbing,  cinema".  Sam  Edwards,  Waikato  Times    See  the  full  reviews  here:   The  Last  Ocean  by  Melenie  Parkes  Yahoo  Entertainment  NZ  2  October  2012 Fishy  dealings  close  to  home  by  Graeme  Tuckett  Dominion  Post  10  August  2012      The  nightmare  impact  of  uncontrolled  fishing  by  Sam  Edwards  Waikato  Times  8  September  2012      Caught  with  our  hand  in  the  toothfish  pie  by  James  Croot  Weekend  Press  8  September  2012      

 

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TECHNICAL  DATA    Title   The  Last  Ocean  Original  Title   The  Last  Ocean  Genre     Documentary      Production  Year   2012  Country  of  Origin   New  Zealand  Language  Spoken   English  Duration   88  min.  Shot  on     HD  Screen  Ratio   16:9  Format  (ex.  DCP,  35mm)     DCP,  HDCam  SR,  BLURAY  Sound  format   5.1  Dolby,  2.0  Stereo          Domestic  release  Incl.  Distributor  name  

October  2nd  /  Fisheye  Films  +  Prime  Television  

Admission/rating  Incl.  PG,  18+  etc   All  Target  Group   General          Production  Company   Fisheye  Films  Producer   Peter  Young  Co-­‐producer  and  Company/Country   No  

Executive  Producer(s)   Dave  Gibson,  Richard  Fletcher,  Paul  Davis      Cinematographer   Peter  Young  Editor   Jonno  Woodford-­‐Robinson  and  Richard  Lord  Sound  Designer   Chris  Sinclair  Composer   Plan  9  Scriptwriter   Peter  Young  and  Richard  Langston          Director   Peter  Young  Cast   Narrated  by  Peter  Elliott      

 

 

         

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PETER  YOUNG  –  DIRECTOR  AND  CINEMATOGRAPHER      Peter   Young   is   an   award-­‐winning   documentary   cameraman   and   producer.   He   came   to  filmmaking  the  long  way,  spending  the  first  ten  years  of  his  working  on  the  land  and  sea  over  which  time  he  developed  a  strong  connection  to  the  great  outdoors  and  people  that  live  and  work  there.        Peter  established  Fisheye  Films   in  Christchurch,  New  Zealand   in  1997  and  has  worked  as  a  freelance   director   and   cameraman   ever   since.   He   has   credits   in   well   over   a   hundred  documentaries,  among  them;  BBC’s  Blue  Planet  Series,  a  Giant  Squid  documentary  for  prime  time  Discovery,  he  filmed  many  of  the  South  Island  Country  Calendar  episodes,  the  acclaimed  TVNZ  series  Explorers  and  the  final  tribute  documentary  for  Sir  Edmund  Hilary.  He  produced  and  shot  the  award  winning  series  Hunger  for  the  Wild  for  TVNZ  and  is  now  working  on  his  second  series  of  Coasters.        He  has  recently  completed  his  first  feature  documentary  The  Last  Ocean,  a  project  he  began  in  2006.  This   labour  of   love  has  expanded   into  the   formation  of  a  Charitable  Trust   to  promote  the  protection  of  the  Ross  Sea,  Antarctica,  the  world’s  most  pristine  marine  ecosystem.    Peter  has  won  many  awards  for  his  skills  and  creativity  behind  the  camera,  both  shooting  and  producing,   but   it's   the   opportunity   to  work  with   great   teams   and   telling   great   stories   that  keeps  him  in  the  business.        QUOTES  from  Peter  Young    “Most   of   the  world’s   oceans  have  been   impacted  by  human  activity   but   in   the  Ross   Sea  we  have   a   chance   to   do   something   special   –  we   can   fish   it   –   or  we   can   protect   it   and   gift   this  unique  corner  of  the  world  to  future  generations.”    “When  you  strip  back  the  politics  and  economics,  this  issue  is  about  the  value  we  place  on  the  last   untouched   areas   of   Earth’s   Ocean   and   the   real   value   of   the   Ross   Sea   is   as   a   pristine  ecosystem,  not  as  a  fishing  ground.”    ”I  was  one  of  the  privileged  few  who  had  been  to  the  Ross  Sea  and  filmed  the  wildlife,  The  Last  Ocean  was  a  story  I  had  to  tell.”            

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Selected  Credits    DP  Deep  Trouble  1  hour  Environmental  doco  for  BBC  Blue  Planet  series  DP/Producer  Get  Fresh  with  Al  Brown  10  X  30  minute  culinary  adventure  series  for  TVNZ  

DP/Producer  Coasters  17  X  30  minute  journeys  around  NZ  Coastline  for  TVNZ  

DP  Remembering  Ed:  A  Tribute  to  Sir  Edmund  Hillary  1  hour  HD  Doco  celebrating  the  life  of  Sir  Edmund  Hillary  for  TVNZ  

DP/Producer  Hunger  for  the  Wild  Series  27  X  30  minute  culinary  adventure  series  for  TVNZ  DP  Here  to  Stay  6  X  1  hour  documentary  series  on  New  Zealand  Settlers  for  TVNZ  

DP/Director  Chasing  Giants:  On  the  trail  of  the  Giant  Squid  for  Discovery  Channel  USA  

DP  Explorers  4  X  1  hour  New  Zealand  History  documentary    for  TVNZ  DP  Between  the  Lines  Dennis  Glover  1  hour  Art  doco  on  iconic  NZ  poet  for  TVNZ  

DP  Country  Calendar  :  Over  60  episodes  for  NZ’s  longest  running  documentary  series.  DP  Quest  for  the  Giant  Squid  BBC  for  Discovery  Channel  

 

Peter  Young  AWARDS    2012     SPADA  Independent  Producer  of  the  Year     New  Zealand  Screen  Producer  and  Development  Association  Awards    2009       Best  Information  and  Lifestyle  Show:  Hunger  for  the  Wild  

Qantas  New  Zealand  Film  &  Television  Awards  Best  Camera  (Documentary):  Hunger  for  the  Wild  Qantas  New  Zealand  Film  &  Television  Awards  

 2007     Best  Factual  Series:  Hunger  for  the  Wild  

Best  Camera  –  Documentary:  Country  Calendar  Cray  Coast  New  Zealand  Screen  Awards    

 2005     Best  Camera  –  Documentary:  Explorers  

New  Zealand  Screen  Awards  Best  Camera  Documentary:  Country  Calendar  Erewhon  Qantas  Media  Awards  

 2003   Finalist  -­‐  Best  Documentary:  Chasing  Giants  On  the  trail  of  the  Giant  Squid  

International  Wildlife  Film  Festival,  Missoula  Montana      2002   Best  Camera:  Country  Calendar  Mt  Ida  Muster  

New  Zealand  Television  Awards      2000   Best  Camera:  Country  Calendar  Yankee  Harvest  

New  Zealand  Television  Awards

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BACKGROUND  INFORMATION    

     THE  PROJECT    Peter   Young,   the   director   and   producer   of   The   Last   Ocean   began   shooting   the   film   in  Antarctica  in  late  2006.    He  travelled  to  the  Ross  Sea  on  a  Russian  icebreaker  with  Colorado  nature  photographer  John  Weller  to  film  the  wildlife.  Weller  had  recently  read  a  paper  about  the  importance  of  the  Ross  Sea  by  world-­‐renowned  Antarctic  ecologist,  Dr.  David  Ainley.  Since  the  initial  film  trip  in  2006  Peter  has  travelled  the  world  filming  interviews  with  scientists  as  the  film  and  campaign  evolved.      In   June  2009  Peter  Young  co-­‐founded   the  Last  Ocean  Charitable  Trust,  which  advocates   for  full  protection  of  the  Ross  Sea.  The  Trust  built  The  Last  Ocean  website  and  worked  on  creating  a  credible  presence  within  the  New  Zealand  media  and  political  circles.  Funding  for  the  film  was  achieved  through  donation,  personal  investment  and  grants  from  the  NZ  funding  agencies  NZ  on  Air  and  the  NZ  Film  Commission.      The  film  premiered  at  the  NZ  International  Film  Festival  on  1  August  2012  where  it  sold  out  theatres  throughout  the  country.  It  also  had  a  small  general  release  before  playing  on  PRIME  TV  in  New  Zealand  on  2  October  2012.                        

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 THE  ROSS  SEA    Located  approximately  4000  miles  south  of  New  Zealand,  the  Ross  Sea  is  the  most  productive  area  of  the  Southern  Ocean.  It  is  home  to  many  species  found  nowhere  else  and  has  all  its  top  predators  intact,  including  whales,  seals,  large  fish,  penguins  and  other  seabirds.  US  Ecologist  Dr.  David  Ainley,  who  has  been  studying  in  the  Ross  Sea  for  more  than  40  years,  describes  it  as  a  'living  laboratory,  a  place  that  can  teach  us  about  the  workings  of  all  marine  ecosystems’.    While  the  land  of  Antarctica  is  protected  under  a  global  treaty  signed  more  than  50  years  ago,  the   oceans   allow   for   the   rational   use   of   a   living   resource.   In   1996,   the   New   Zealand  Government  encouraged  a  major  New  Zealand  fishing  company  to  explore  the  Ross  Sea.  They  found   Antarctic   Toothfish,   a   lucrative   catch   that   is   sold   as   Chilean   Sea   Bass   in   up-­‐market  restaurants  around  the  world.  As  word  got  out,  that  one  boat  from  New  Zealand  grew  to  near  on   20   from   a   dozen   different   countries   and   they   were   permitted   to   take   more   than   3000  tonnes  of  Antarctic  Toothfish  every  year.  However,  the  Antarctic  tooth  fish  is  a  top  predator  in  the   Ross   Sea   and   if   taken   in   significant   numbers,   the   natural   balance   of   the   last   pristine  marine  ecosystem  on  Earth  will  be  lost  forever.      CCAMLR    The  Commission  for  the  Conservation  of  Antarctic  Marine  Living  Resources  (CCAMLR)  is  the  international  organization  that  provides  governance  over  the  oceans  surrounding  Antarctica  including  the  Ross  Sea.  It  comes  under  the  umbrella  of  the  Antarctic  Treaty  System  (ATS)  and  currently   comprises  of  25  nations,   each  with  a  vested   interest   in  Antarctica.  Like  all  bodies  working   under   the   Antarctic   Treaty   System,   CCAMLR’s   decision-­‐making   process   operates  under  consensus.      CCAMLR  is  based  in  Hobart,  Australia  and  meets  annually  in  November  to  make  decisions  on  the  seas  around  Antarctica.      Members  of  the  Commission  currently  include  24  States  and  the  European  Union:  Argentina,  Australia,  Belgium,  Brazil,  Chile,  China,  European  Union,  France,  Germany,  India,  Italy,  Korea,  Namibia,  New  Zealand,  Norway,  Poland,  Russia,  South  Africa,  Spain,  Sweden,  Ukraine,  UK,  USA  and  Uruguay.    In  November  2012  CCAMLR  failed  to  reach  consensus  on  a  Marine  Protected  Area  in  the  Ross  Sea,  jointly  proposed  by  the  US  and  NZ  Governments.  CCAMLR  then  called  for  a  special  meeting  in  this  July  (2013)  in  Bremerhaven,  Germany.  The  proposal  was  blocked  by  Russia  and  discussion  will  now  roll  on  to  November  2013.