Submitted by the Friday Harbor Film Festival
The Friday Harbor Film Festival’s “Best of the Fest” presents a special guest for the showing of “Mission Blue.”
Join the important discussion after the screening with Megan Cook, a marine scientist and participant in the making of “Mission Blue,” Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018, 7 p.m. at the Grange in Friday Harbor.
“Mission Blue” is about legendary oceanographer, Sylvia Earle. She is on a personal mission to save our oceans. Mission Blue is part oceanic road trip, part biography, part action adventure story, and part expose of an eco-disaster. The film deftly weaves her unique personal history with the passion that consumes her today: creating a global parks system for the ocean that she calls “Hope Spots.” Mission Blue, shot during a three-year period in numerous locations around the world, tackles the daunting challenge of how to protect the global ocean that is now under attack as never before. Ambitious in its visual language, goals, and passions for change, the film is a wake-up call for everyone who has ever cared about or experienced the ocean, as well as for the far inland who are dependent on rainwater, clean air, and weather cycles regulated by the ocean. As Sylvia says, “No blue, no green. No ocean, no us.”
As the Community STEM Program Coordinator for Ocean Exploration Trust, Cook travels the nation supporting STEM educators and major partners to broaden collaborations that introduce exploration to new audiences. She proudly brings together innovative partners in the ocean realm, mentor emerging talent in STEM fields, and inspires our next generation of young explorers.
Her international career has bridged scientific research, ocean education, conservation campaigns, expedition planning, and digital media. Her communication talent is grown from a broad technical operations expertise. A science extrovert, she loves helping people fall into fascination with the planet and using technology to share ocean stories.
Beyond her education career growth, she has a professional biological field research background and has worked as a submarine copilot, scuba professional, freediver, invasive species wrangler, writer, and international public speaker. She is an alumna of Oregon State University with a degree in biology and chemistry with an emphasis in marine biology and said it is an honor to be a Mission Blue Young Explorer and the North American Rolex Scholar in 2012. Check out the Journal’s story about the 2017 Friday Harbor Film Festival here: www.sanjuanjournal.com/life/friday-harbor-film-festival-returns-for-fifth-year/.
