Sharkwater

Delivery Time: 7 to 15 Working Days Format: DVD

A fearsome predator prowls the seas. It is relentless, powerful, deadly. Its name: man. Its prey: sharks. For 400-million years, sharks have been the masters of two-thirds of the earth's surface. Now, as a result of irrational and unchecked human hunting, their population has decreased an astonishing 90%. Biologist and filmmaker Rob Stewart guides this real-life seagoing odyssey that dispels the myths and horror stories that surround these amazing creatures and reveals their beauty, power and critical role in the ocean's ecological balance. Swim alongside hammerheads. Witness the ongoing tragedy of man's menace. Plunge into Sharkwater and discover why this bold, visually stunning voyage has won 22 international film awards.
One of mankind's greatest fears--the shark--is convincingly cast in a sympathetic light by the award-winning documentary Sharkwater. Wildlife photographer-turned-filmmaker Rob Stewart is the driving force behind the film, and if his on-camera presence occasionally tilts towards self-aggrandizement, it's countered by the breathtaking quality of his footage of sharks and his compassionate argument for their protection. Stewart's coverage of the sharkfin trade is equally compelling, and scenes of wholesale slaughter of sharks for their fins (a delicacy and alleged medicine in Asian countries) are likely to disturb. Viewers may be split on Stewart's hands-on approach to combating the practice, which includes taking on pirates and police, but his intentions are honorable and do much to bring this alarming situation to light. The DVD includes a '60s-era Navy training film about sharks, which is amusing until one realizes how much its fearful tone has been echoed through decades, as well as a making-of featurette and theatrical trailer. --Paul Gaita