The National Gallery Proudly Presents Award Winning Documentary Film, A Plastic Ocean. Special Film Screening 1 April 2017.
A Plastic Ocean is an epic global adventure following documentary filmmaker, Craig Leeson and British-Caymanian-American world record free-diver Tanya Streeter, as they travel the earth discovering the shocking impact plastic is having on our oceans and the marine animals that live there. The film is being showcased as part of the National Gallery of the Cayman Islands’ (NGCI) maritime exhibition project. Exhibition curator and NGCI director Natalie Urquhart explains, “A Plastic Ocean addresses the same critical questions that many of the featured artists are seeking to address. Plastic and waste are already effecting our coastline and maritime environment. As we look to the future, with concerns over environmental substantiality, global warming and rising sea levels, how will our islands long kinship to the ocean continue to evolve; and how might we position ourselves from mere observers to active participants in this evolving relationship.”
Film screenings take place 1 April 2017 in the National Gallery’s Dart Auditorium and admission is free thanks to the support from Plastic Oceans Ltd.. Filmed in 20 locations around the globe, spanning four years, the film documents the effects of one of mankind’s most destructive inventions. With a team of international adventurers, researchers and ocean ambassadors on a mission to expose the truth, the documentary seeks to bring awareness, immediate action and involvement to figure out what exactly can we do to stop this issue from worsening.
Documentary Filmmaker Craig Leeson explains what began his involvement, why it is important and what he hopes the documentary will accomplish, “I noticed the severe effects industrial pollution was having on the coastal waters where I grew up. That interest was the impetus… to discover the effects our species has on other species we share the planet with and how we can co-exist sustainably to ensure the future survival of all earth’s inhabitants. I began to study intensely effects on marine life and humans. This was a global disaster that very few people knew about. To prove this however we needed to gather evidence. And to do that, we had to begin a global journey of discovery. We need to recognise solutions that work and come up with others that solve the problem of plastic that is already in the environment. Only through the sharing of information on this issue will policy change on how we treat plastic, will we rescue ourselves from the human health catastrophe that is developing as a result.”
Admission to the film screenings is free and open to the public. Screenings take place 1 April 2017 at 3:30 PM, 5:30 PM and 7:30 PM. Refreshments including popcorn will be served. Donations welcome. Please note that the National Gallery has a new temporary access road via Harquail Drive off of Lawrence Boulevard. For more information about the event email info@nationalgallery.org.ky or call (345) 945 8111 and to view a map of the temporary access road click here.