Phase 1
In late 2023 The Last Shark was seen in 18 different South African venues. From Capetown to Durban, audiences learned about the realities of shark nets, drum lines, and the impact both can have on the Great White Shark and numerous other species. Think of that entire moment in time as Phase 1. It was exhausting beyond belief, exhilarating and we (the Co Directors) saw this film make more of an impact than we thought possible. Communicating science isn't easy. Storytelling is hard work. And ushering a film through 18 in person screenings in 18 different places is not for the meek.
Frankie (Co Director and Producer) was the boots on the ground for nearly every single screening (some were virtual). She worked tirelessly on making sure there was a representative from the film making crew.
Frankie headed back to the USA at the beginning of 2024. As for me, I moved to Iowa City, Iowa to finally settle down. I also left the project in order to focus on moving, and after volunteering for nearly 6 months straight on this project...I signed off on the project to focus on finding paid work and left it with Frankie. I needed to move on. Just being honest.
Phase 2
A few days ago, Frankie reached out to me and asked me if I would be willing to take it over the project if she needed to step away. After taking 3 months off, I felt that I could. With the movie making and intense touring of Phase 1 in the rearview mirror, I felt I could manage things. So....here I am. And the focus now is on international screenings. When I say "international screenings" I mean places outside of South Africa. Because to Frankie and I, and the whole team involved with the making of this movie, it's always for the people and sharks of South Africa.
It's a South African centric movie.
What's being right now is I have set up a new workstation and fired up the hard drives to do one final export. This export will include a dramatically enhanced audio experience. A post production sound engineer with decades of experience stepped in and offered to do their magic for this movie.
There are plans in the works for more screenings in South Africa as well as the USA, Paris and possibly Canada and Argentina. There is one huge bit of news about something in the works....but that's a secret for now!
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