Once Upon a Tide
9' (USA)
Director: Drew Takahashi, Gesine Krätzner
Producer:  Mark Shelley

Description: 

Told through the unique voice of Academy Award winner Linda Hunt as the Storyteller, the narrative is set in a time, not unlike our own, when a spell has been cast causing people to forget about the ocean and its importance to our lives. With this backdrop, we meet a young girl who is traveling to the ocean for the first time. We embark on a fantastic journey, where orcas swim through corn fields, scientists talk in rhyme, and the power of dreams helps her, and the audience, discover how the ocean touches all parts of our Earth and nurtures our existence. We also learn about dangerous threats to the ocean such as pollution, over-fishing and global warming.

Biography:

Drew Takahashibegan his career working with George Lucas, Francis Coppola and John Korty on American Graffiti, The Conversation and Who are the Debolts? His design and production direction ranged from live action through motion control and computer animation. In the TV advertising world, Takahashi has directed spots for Coca-Cola, Honda, Nike, Budweiser, barnesandnoble.com and GO Networks.

Award-winning director, designer and animator Gesine Krätzner worked on LAIKA/house’s “Clay People” commercial for the American Cheese Board, which won a Bronze Clio and a Silver plaque, and as animation director on the Cannes-recognized M&Ms spot “Bowlful of You’s.” Most recently Gesine was the production designer on the Ben & Jerry’s stop-motion campaign, a character designer for both ESPN “Believe” and the long-running Eggos campaign.

Mark Shelley is a visionary, and a passionate advocate for issues affecting our planet’s health. Mark strongly believes that the first step towards inspiring action is to help the public appreciate the science that underlies our understanding of the earth’s systems. Sea Studios Foundation produced prime-time series, Shape of Life, and Strange Days on Planet Earth, hosted by Edward Norton and Mark, as the executive producer. Mark graduated from Stanford University with honors in biology and conducted research at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution for two years. He is internationally recognized for his underwater filmmaking skills and has developed deep sea imaging systems for National Geographic Television and Film and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

Contact Information:

Kathleen Frith
Harvard Medical School
401 Park Drive, Second Floor East
Boston, MA 2215
E-mail: kfrith@hms.harvard.edu
Web site: www.healthyocean.org