Two special movie screenings to raise awareness of plastics in our oceans

Sutherland Shire marine scientist, Sarah-Jo Lobwein, a marine debris and conservation educator from Ocean Tidings, knows things must change and is hosting two special screening events of the documentaries Blue (Thursday, February 8 at 6.30 pm) and A Plastic Ocean (Thursday, February 15 at 6.30 pm) at Miranda Event Cinemas to help raise local awareness.

Blue is about how the oceans are broken, and what can be done to fix them. It features passionate advocates #oceanguardians for ocean preservation including Dr Jennifer Lavers (Save Our Seabirds), Madison Stewart (Shark Girl), Valerie Taylor and Tim Silverwood (Take3forthesea) the film tackles themes of habitat destruction, overfishing, shark finning, induced global warming, species loss, plastic marine debris and pollution.

Filmed in the seas surrounding Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and the USA, Blue looks at how the very nature of the ocean is being altered.

A Plastic Ocean begins when journalist Craig Leeson, searching for the elusive blue whale, discovers plastic waste in what should be pristine ocean.

Craig teams up with free diver Tanya Streeter and an international team of scientists and researchers including Dr Jennifer Lavers, and they travel to twenty locations around the world over four years to explore the fragile state of our oceans, uncover truths about plastic pollution, and reveal working solutions that can be put into immediate effect. 

At these screenings there will be Q&A sessions with local scientists, businesses and volunteer organisations on the issues and solutions covered in the documentaries.

Local options and actions will discussed and reusable products available for purchase at the featured non-profit group information table hosted by Laura Wells (environmental scientist) Allyson Jennings (Sea Shepherd), Sarah-Jo Lobwein (Ocean Tidings) Sutherland Shire Tangaroa Blue Volunteers, Sutherland Shire Boomerang Bags Sewing Circle (Keep Bundeena Beautiful), Southern Sydney Food Collective (War on Waste Sutherland Shire) and Two Hands Project.

There will be a raffle drawn on each night ($2 per ticket) promoting online and local St George and Sutherland Shire businesses who live by the #swapforthesea #protectthesea the #waronwaste or #noexcuseforsingleuseplastic mantras.

Proceeds will support monthly beach litter clean up activities, education and local outreach programs and local volunteer-run events, avoiding single-use and marine litter awareness programs, and supporting a range of local non-profit and volunteer organisation initiatives including the Sutherland Shire Tangaroa Blue Volunteers events and clean ups.

If you would like to pre-purchase raffle tickets before the night go to https://paypal.me/sjlobwein/2

BLUE:  screening (PG 70 mins) February 8, $20 (plus $1.85 booking fee)

Please reserve your tickets ASAP: https://tickets.demand.film/event/2820

A PLASTIC OCEAN:  Screening (PG 1 hr 42 mins) February 15. Reserve your tickets ASAP: https://tickets.demand.film/event/2821