News

Festival's free screening of film on our ‘plastic oceans'

August 3rd, 2017 12:23 PM

By Siobhan Cronin

Tanya Streeter examines a beach filled with plastic

Share this article

THE Cork Mother Jones festival committee has scored a coup by getting permission to screen the Irish premiere of the environmental film A Plastic Ocean, at the sixth annual festival.

THE Cork Mother Jones festival committee has scored a coup by getting permission to screen the Irish premiere of the environmental film A Plastic Ocean, at the sixth annual festival.

The free screening – open to all – will take place at the Firkin Crane in Shandon on Thursday afternoon, August 3rd.

The committee said it was thrilled to have been given permission by the Plastics Ocean Foundation to have the first public viewing in Ireland. 

‘This is a once off showing of a documentary which has triggered a huge debate on our obsession with single-use plastic,' said James Nolan of the festival committee.

‘There is mounting concern about the accumulation of single-use plastic in the environment and I can assure people who come to see this film that they will not easily forget the insidious effects of the build-up of plastic in the environment and ecology of our planet,' he told The Southern Star.

The frightening visuals of beaches laden with washed-up plastic will live long in the memory of those who view the film.

 ‘We hope people will question the production, use and disposal of plastics and plastic packaging. 

‘One will seriously look at your plastic water bottle and packaging after seeing the effects on the ocean life of our throwaway society,' he added.

A Plastic Ocean also investigates how the world's increasing addiction to plastic is impacting the food chain and how that is effecting every one of us through new and developing human health problems.

It was filmed in 20 locations around the world and documents in chilling detail the effects of the some 8m tons of plastic which is dumped in the world's oceans annually. 

The film follows documentary maker Craig Leeson and free diver Tanya Streeter who, while filming a blue whale, discovered huge quantities of plastic floating in the waters off Sri Lanka. 

What follows is a global odyssey to discover what is happening in the oceans around the world. 


Share this article