LIHUE — The story of Kauai’s diseased and dying coral reefs may soon be brought to life via a major 3-D IMAX documentary film. Dean Lyon, best known for his work as visual effects supervisor of The Lord of the
LIHUE — The story of Kauai’s diseased and dying coral reefs may soon be brought to life via a major 3-D IMAX documentary film.
Dean Lyon, best known for his work as visual effects supervisor of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, announced plans to assist several Kauai groups in producing a film about the pandemic facing coral reefs both on Kauai and around the world.
“Having heard of the coral reef issue in Kauai, it immediately became apparent that there are many parts of the world where the health and survival of the coral is in peril,” Lyon wrote in an email Tuesday to The Garden Island.
For Lyon, the documentary is about telling a story from a Hawaiian perspective that involves and is shared with the rest of the world — a grassroots movement on a worldwide stage.
“The challenge with making a film and even more so with a documentary is to make it a ‘personal’ journey for the audience member,” he wrote. “‘What’s in it for me? How does this affect me?’” The goal is to teach someone who lives in the Sahara Desert, that the issue of ‘healing’ the coral reefs of Kauai is an important issue for them.”
In May, a year and a half after a U.S. Geological Survey report described Kauai’s coral disease outbreak as an “epidemic,” the state Department of Land and Natural Resources announced it would lead an investigation to identify research and treatment options.
It is the first time the department’s Division of Aquatic Resources has formed a management response team to address coral disease, according to officials.
Those behind the documentary say time is of the essence, and raising awareness is key.
For the film, Lyon has agreed to work with a new organization called Prosperity For Humanity, a group of North Shore volunteers led by Lori Miller, to develop a “first-time-ever, not-for-profit, feature film to help save our coral reefs,” according to a release.
“We’re facing potential catastrophe around the world with what’s happening to our oceans,” Miller said.
The budget for the film is $7.8 million, and will be raised through crowd-funding donations, according to a release. Contributions are tax-deductible, and all proceeds will be donated back to partnerships working to save, restore and sustain coral reefs, the ocean and land.
As a traveler and filmmaker, Lyon said he is interested in telling a global story from an island perspective. Having spent nearly 10 years in New Zealand, he feels the Maori, Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures embrace the role of being a guardian of the Earth, ocean and sky.
Just as the early Polynesian explorers traveled to the far corners of the globe, Lyon sees a chance for young people from Hawaii to travel the world and uncover the truth that the coral reefs and the other inhabitants of the sea are at risk, he said.
“Once we have uncovered the issue, we must then present to our audience the action items, the steps and the contributions that each and everyone is to make to mitigate or even reverse the deterioration of the natural resources that we have been charged with protecting,” he wrote.
Prosperity for Humanity is connecting with several local youth programs and organizations associated with the ocean, aina and various environmental issues, as well as with local Hawaiian groups and other cultural organizations.
“We want to get everybody involved in realizing how each of us can in little ways make a big difference,” Miller said.
This “edu-tainment” adventure, according to a release, is designed to help empower the world’s population, so it can come together and develop viable solutions for bioremediation and sustainability that can be implemented on Kauai, as well as around the world.
Prosperity For Humanity will discuss its plan and mission during a pair of public gatherings at 4:30 and 6 p.m. today at Pine Trees in Hanalei.
“If the coral reefs die, we all perish,” Miller wrote. “However, there is still hope.”
And by adding in some high-tech computer graphics and visual effects, social media promotion and interaction, and involvement from people from around the world, Lyon believes the Kauai community will have a project that is “unparalleled.”
“It is coming together and I really look forward to collaborating with the talented people of Kauai on this global project!” he wrote.
For more information, email Lori Miller at ponoprosperity@aol.com
