Courts-metrages - Melting Stars: a new short documentary to discover

Par Whispertone, 28 mai 2017

Melting Stars unravels the mystery behind one of the most catastrophic species die offs in recorded history. In 2013 scuba divers off the West coast of British Columbia discovered that the star fish were dying in the millions and suffering horrific deaths. They were disintegrating into goo on the ocean floor and the environmental balance of the marine ecosystem was being changed. Soon the immensity of this epidemic came to light and what researchers had dubbed the Sea Star Wasting Syndrome was now effecting several star fish species all along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Mexico. The virus was also discovered in preserved museum samples from the 1940's. So, what has changed? Melting Stars follows the clues on this marine mystery.

"I was thrilled to have had such an enthusiastic response from the audience when we screened at the International Wildlife Film Festival where we won the Best Short film award. Melting Stars went on to be nominated for best short at NORTHWESTFEST in Edmonton, AB and now, I am truly humbled return as an alumna to DWF and have my film shown alongside such entertaining and interesting films." says director Kate Green.

Filmed in Vancouver and on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Puget Sound WA, as well as Cornell University in New York. Melting Stars chronicles the devastating disease and ask what does this mean for our ecosystem? "Growing up on the West Coast of Canada you cannot help but have a love for the ocean and mountains. Countless hours of my childhood summer vacations were spent flipping rocks and squealing with delight as crabs scattered over the beach. Exploring tide pools and collecting sand dollars is almost a rite of passage for any kid growing up on the coast. It becomes a part of you and those sunny memories will forever have a place in your heart. Seeing first-hand the destruction of a species is heartbreaking especially when it happens in your own 'backyard'.", says Green.

This is a catastrophic species die-off and it is the largest wipe out of a keystone marine species ever recorded. Only part of the mystery has been solved and the biggest questions of how this will affect our environment long term are still to be answered. The clock is ticking and the real test on how these animals are surviving will come very soon as ocean temperatures continue to rise. Melting Stars was funded by the BravoFactual foundation to assist Canadian talent, which was recently scrapped by the new CRTC rulings.

Whispertone review :

In the short documentary "Melting Stars," sea stars are disintegrating as a species all across the British Columbian and the Western coast of North America. Spreading from the source of an unknown dormant virus, about twenty different species of sea stars have been affected and only a few are believed to even have a chance of recovery. The timeline for which could range from years to decades and the ecological impacts terrified scientist calling for a huge investigation into the case of the sea stars rapid die off. Marine diseases have never matched such catastrophic heights as the sea star-associated densovirus or the sea star wasting disease has.

The biomarine life could only continue under such strenuous conditions for so long before getting sick from the rise in thermal temperatures. To preserve our ecosystem is one of highest priority, though the resilience of ocean life is astounding beyond belief there absolutely are limits to the strain it can stand up against.

"Melting Stars" explains how the removal of one species just like the sea stars can affect every species and is comparable to the wolf's importance in the ecosystem on land. There is a balance that must be kept before these biomarine life systems are irreparably damaged.

Directed and produced by Kate Green with Sarah Thomas Moffat as director of photography is a beautiful pairing. Breathtaking landscapes and underwater visuals of the sea stars evoke a deep connection with our tremendous responsibility to and within the circle of life. Mario Vaira's musical score that accompanies Green and Moffat's resonating cinematography is superb with sealing the cautionary message of "Melting Stars."

The film pleads for knowledge to be spread faster than diseases spread in the ocean, especially ones that are "temperature sensitive." Though the sea star wasting disease was a pathogen that had been documented and cited back to the 1940's it was unable to be predicted due to lack of understanding of our own effects on the Earth. Comprehending the changes of our transforming planet is important to equipping ourselves with the tools to prevent a repeat of history. The loss of any species including the sea stars is unforgivable as we must be care takers for our pale blue world.

(Source: press release the 23th May)