Even after thousands of years of ocean exploration, many of its wonders remain a mystery, hidden beneath the surface in a vast, interconnected world of species and habitats that are constantly evolving. Silverback Films and Open Planet Studios’ new powerful feature-length documentary, Ocean With David Attenborough, which premieres on June 7 on National Geographic and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, is the complete culmination of Sir David Attenborough’s lifetime of exploration and storytelling. But beneath the ocean’s beauty lies a harsh reality. Despite protections, destructive practices like large-scale bottom trawling continue daily. Weighted nets with sharp metal beams scrape across the ocean floor with immense force to collect fish in mass, demolishing habitats, killing non-targeted species like sharks and turtles and releasing copious amounts of carbon dioxide from the disturbed seabed sediments. cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});This practice is similar to bulldozing down a rainforest, yet it is hidden out of sight, underwater and sadly common. This man-made destruction of our oceans can feel hopeless, but after seven decades of advocacy, Attenborough offers one promising discovery. If we can protect just a small portion of the ocean, entire ecosystems will be completely revived. And he tells us this in what may be his most impassioned narration yet. In a way, the film–directed by frequent Attenborough collaborators Colin Butfield, Keith Scholey and Toby Nowlan– is Attenborough’s passing of the baton to the next stage of coastal conservation. “Nothing comes close to this piece,” Nowlan says. “It’s the most authored and personal piece of his. He’s incredibly emotional. He’s very reflective– more so than he’s ever been.” Aside from how deeply personal the film feels to Attenborough’s life and legacy, it also showcases marine life like we’ve never seen before. Single-celled, microscopic phytoplankton, which are often depicted as mere illustrations, are illuminated in stunning detail, revealing the colorfulness and power of these tiny organisms. In some shots, it feels like you’re gliding through the water yourself, with dolphins swimming directly toward the camera. Those immersive sequences were achieved using a custom-built “toe cam” – a torpedo-shaped submersible rigged with small cameras that surprisingly attracted marine life.“It turns out the spotted dolphins just absolutely loved this thing, so they just went nuts for it,” Nowlan says. The film also provides a high-definition and painfully up-close view of bottom trawling. The callousness of this destructive practice is captured in the film as commercial fishermen sweep off hundreds of fish after getting what little they need from the weighted-net. Nowlan says achieving the shots of bottom trawling were necessary, and one of the most important parts of the film, but technically very difficult to capture. Filmmakers had to figure out how to get the footage with extreme turbulence in low light. “We were also delivering a cinematic feature,” Nowlan says. “This is a one off, huge feature film–a David Attenborough epic–so it had to look great. There were a lot of challenges, but we feel excited to bring these images to the world.”In an effort to save our waters, Attenborough urges for dramatic changes to commercial fishing regulations around the world. The film isn’t a call to stop fishing, however. It’s a plea to protect local fishermen from what Attenborough bluntly dubbed, “modern colonialism,” where wealthy nations deplete communities of their resources. Some of the most touching parts of the film are not only underwater. Unlike other Attenborough projects, people are featured prominently. You get to hear from local fishermen and people living in coastal communities directly about how these practices affect their livelihoods.Nowlan was incredibly inspired to work on this film because of the real change that can be quickly achieved through conservation, even on a small-scale. The film shows an inspiring glimpse of the restoration happening in the waters of the Channel Islands. The oceans surrounding the archipelago, once disgustingly overfished, have been designated as “no-take zones” to protect the fragile marine environment and the diverse species that live within it. Within five years, marine life not only returned; it flourished. The documentary captures how protecting just a mere portion of the ocean can completely bring it back to life. “The process of protecting the ocean is really different from the process of protecting land. It’s easier, it’s way faster and it really, really works,” Nowlan says. “You protect one area and it fills up with life super quickly, and it spreads out and fills up surrounding areas. It’s already happening. This is a real, tangible bit of hope that we should shout from the rooftop.” Ocean With David Attenborough, reaches far beyond anything the legendary biologist has previously worked on. It feels like the whole world united to make this project happen. The film’s score is fittingly dramatic; the beauty of the cinematography demands to be experienced on a big screen and it marks a sanguine turning point for ocean conservation and climate activism as we know it. And filmmakers like Nowlan are ecstatic to be a part of it. “The reason I got into this business was for the dream to ultimately make a film that makes a difference,” Nowlan says. “And I think for all of us, that’s a big thing. So, to see that starting to happen is really, really exciting.”Ocean with David Attenborough premieres June 7 at 9 p.m. ET on National Geographic and National Geographic WILD and streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu.The post Ocean With David Attenborough Isn’t Just A Documentary; It’s a Wake-Up Call appeared first on Den of Geek.