|
Ten years in the making, "My Octopus Teacher"
began as a personal video project by South African filmmaker
Craig Foster to rekindle his connection with nature by observing
an inquisitive female mollusc while free-diving near Cape Town.
She shared with him her secret life in an underwater kelp forest
every day for a year before her death after mating and laying
eggs, and the pair developed a deep bond.
Foster said his relationship with the octopus taught him about
life's fragility and our connection with nature, and even helped
him become a better father.
"The really strange thing is that, as you get closer to them,
you realize that we're very similar in a lot of ways," Foster
said. "I had to have a radical change in my life. And the only
way I knew how to do it was to be in this ocean with her."
Foster, who grieved over the loss of his friend, showed his
3,000 hours of footage to fellow diver and director Pippa
Ehrlich who shot additional material of the landscape beneath
the cold waters of False Bay near Foster's home.
"There were moments where I was editing and I got emotional in
certain scenes," Ehrlich said. "You know, when she loses her
leg. The final scene from playing with the fish to her death. I
think I cried while I was cutting that."
When a story has such an impact on someone who is already very
familiar with it, "you know that you've got something powerful,"
she said.
The Netflix documentary drew a surprisingly wide audience before
winning a BAFTA award. It is nominated for an Oscar in the best
documentary feature category.
"To receive thousands and thousands of emails from people saying
that they've been touched ... saying that they'll never eat
octopus again," Ehrlich marveled.
"The way that it's been received has been incredibly empowering.
And yeah, it makes you believe in yourself."
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Writing by Richard Chang; Editing
by Daniel Wallis)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content
|
|
