The Last Shark documentary aims to change human perception of sharks
|Published
Durban — Directors Frankie Chipparoni and Charlie Morris are hosting free public screenings of The Last Shark. The documentary centres on the disappearance of the iconic Great White shark from South Africa's coast and the government’s continued use of shark nets.
They hope to highlight the ecological importance of this coastline and the biodiversity that inhabits it and how removing the shark nets can help endangered shark populations and increase ecotourism and research across South Africa.
The first screening took place at Cape Town’s Labia Theatre last month and there are plans to show the documentary in Durban next year.
“Our commitment has been to make this movie available to the people of South Africa first. Until the first week of January, live screenings in South Africa are the only way to see the movie.
“The movie is on tour, accompanied by Director Frankie Chipparoni, covering 15 different venues in South Africa. To date, The Last Shark has already been seen by over 500 people.
“Currently scheduled screenings are located in: Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Langebaan, Pringle Bay, George, Algoa Bay, and Durban,” said Chipparoni and Morris.
They said that since the documentary features the KZN coast, they plan to visit Durban to host a screening.
“We are an all volunteer crew trying to keep up with a very hectic schedule, but in early 2024 we plan on specifically reaching out to locations along the KZN coast for screenings. That’s a very firm goal.”
The documentary highlights how the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board is responsible for killing more than 400 sharks every year, including over 20 great whites, by deploying nets and drumlines. They have 37 netted beaches and 177 drumlines.
“During filming in 2021, the Sharks Board had no official comment. However, The Last Shark features key interviews with Geremy Cliff, who was a long time leading scientist of the Sharks Board. He worked for the organisation as a marine biologist for over 30 years and published many papers with them. He offers critical insights as to the history of shark nets and addresses concerns within the movie.
“We don't want a call for an end to the KZN Sharks Board because it is a very highly employed place. It has the potential to be a really great conservation organisation. What we’re really calling for is a transformation of the board and promoting alternatives,” said Chipparoni and Morris.
They hope that their message of conservation by removing nets gets across through this documentary.
“Gansbaai used to be the Mecca of Great White shark tourism, bringing in over $4 million a year from tourists around the globe. The global estimate for Great White sharks hovers between 3000 to 5000. The time to act and to protect is right now. Before it’s too late.
“Removing the shark nets is an achievable conservation goal. It will boost South Africa’s conservation reputation within the international community, increasing tourism and good will. There are solutions and alternatives to shark nets.
“Removing the nets and rethinking how the workers at KZN Sharks Board could be employed to use the alternatives is a win for everyone: humans and sharks. Removing the nets could also help multiple critical species of shark repopulate, increasing the ocean tourism industry for South Africa as well,” said Chipparoni and Morris.
He said the feedback they received from the documentary was not what they had expected.
“We hoped to make an informative movie. What we didn’t know is that audiences would be so emotionally affected by the film. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. People come out of the movie thinking differently about sharks, about the ecosystem and hoping that we can find a way to get the shark nets out of the water along the KZN coast.
“The main thing that we hear from the audience is that they learned so much about sharks and shark nets. The film really sets the tone of restoring our relationship with sharks in a unique way that can actually be quite emotional.
“We would say that being open to seeing sharks differently is one of the most important reasons to see the film. Because once someone sees them differently, removing the shark nets becomes a priority,” said Chipparoni and Morris.
For more information, visit The Last Shark Documentary on social media platforms.
Sunday Tribune