New Shark Conservation Film a Success at Festivals in Antibes and The Hague

Article November 20, 2008 Read time:

Projects: Shark Alliance

After a wam reception at the 35e Festival Mondial De L'Image Sous-Marine in Antibes (France), where 'Gimme A Hug' won the Palme De Bronze in category B (independent filmmakers), this Dutch shark conservation documentary again met with success at the North Sea Film Festivals for underwater films where it was one of the top five nominations for best film in the same category.

The World Underwater Film Festival in Antibes is one of oldest and most respected film festivals for underwater films in the world, while the North Sea Film Festival, is a rather new festival, known for their high selection criteria.

Sharks are one of the most important animals in our oceans and there is still a lot we don’t understand, or even know, about this fascinating animal.

This short documentary shows one of the most mysterious phenomena in the animal world; Tonic Immobility, amazing animals showing a very different behaviour to that we might expect.

The documentary Gimme A Hug was produced by the Protect The Sharks Foundation.

Filmmaker and producer Geert Droppers, is the first Dutch filmmaker to win a Palme in Antibes. His documentaries show not only how beautiful and graceful these creatures are, but also reveal surprising insights into their behaviour.

As a film maker, Droppers aim is to present the viewer with a more genuine picture of an animal that, naturally, must be handled with care and respect, but which is certainly not the monstrous killing-machine that so many people believe it to be.

The Protect The Sharks Foundation, a Dutch NGO, is working on projects to create awareness and a better understanding for a fascinating animal that is threatened with extinction by over fishing and shark finning. Each year approximately 100 million sharks are killed, often for their fins, used in shark fin soup.

The film will be used for shark conservation projects all over the world and will, therefore, be provided with subtitles, or a voice-over, in the following languages: Dutch, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Indonesian.