The Cayman Crown Coral is a hidden gem in the Caribbean Sea, and represents hope for marine conservation. A secret underwater garden of sorts was discovered in Belize in 2013 and partially safeguarded in 2020. And over the last ten years, scientists and fishers have been trying to protect this coral system.
And tonight Belizeans will be able to see those efforts on the big screen. "Treasure of the Ocean" is a film made in collaboration with Big Fish Initiative, the Ministry of the Blue Economy and the Fisheries Department that follows a decade of conservation. It's premiering at the Bliss as we speak, but earlier today, Courtney Menzies found out more about it from the filmmaker. Here is that story.
The Cayman Crown Coral is referred to as the treasure of the ocean in a film by the same name. It follows scientists and fishers over a ten year conservation journey.
The film was shot in Belize's own waters, exploring its underwater garden that was discovered back in 2013. And tonight, that film will be premiering in Belize for the first time.
Ana Salcada, Filmmaker
"This film came home today because this film was shot here and it wouldn't have been possible without the help and support for years because it took years to make this film of, especially the community of Punta Gorda and the fishers and the Fisheries Department and the government of Belize and not only that but most of the production and most of the crew was from Belize. The production, the chief of production, the characters, most of the people are from Belize so this is pretty much like a Belizean film."
And the purpose of the film is to bring awareness to the Cayman Crown and its importance in a time of climate change. Salcada said that this coral represents hope in the Caribbean.
Ana Salcada, Filmmaker
"Why do I say that this is a story of hope? That's because the main character of this film is the cayman crown which is an incredibly resilient coral reef that has a coral coverage like no other in the Mesoamerican reef to start with and it has geomorphology and water system naturally that keeps the corals kind of refrigerated, cooled, it's a natural cooling system so for example, the latest data that we got from the scientist is that after this bleaching event, only 10% of the corals were fully bleached, in comparison with other places in the Caribbean and the Mesoamerican reef, we are talking about minimum 47% and from 47 to 85% and this place, only 10%. That's a miracle."
"Places like this with climate change need to be priority places to protect because they are natural equipped to battle higher temperatures and raised levels so we just need to give them a chance for these places to recover and the cayman crown is exactly that."
And while it was an easy film to shoot - especially with the 2018 bleaching event, various cold fronts, and the COVID pandemic, Salcada explained that filming in Belize was the most pleasant experience she's had. And now, that film has been shown globally, putting the spotlight on Belize's marine space.
But even so, she said the best reaction to the film came from the children of PG:
Ana Salcada, Filmmaker
"We had a screening with the community of Punta Gorda and it was really inspiring to see how much they love the film, even the kids. I was a little nervous because there was very simple science, well the science is complicated but we made it simple right, and I was a little nervous about the kids and teenagers not holding their attention and it was incredible, you could see in the darkness, just with the projector lights, the eyes of these kids and after the screening the kids saying that they wanted to be marine biologist."
The film premiered this evening at 5:00 at the Bliss Center For Performing Arts.
You can also watch the livestream on the Big Fish Initiative Facebook page.
