[Proof of concept, full treatment available on request. Email [email protected]]
Few animals have inspired as much fear, fascination as the shark. This feature documentary begins with a deceptively simple question – why are we so afraid of them? – and follows that question somewhere far larger and stranger than expected. Part investigation, part dark comedy, the film steps inside a world where fear around sharks is not simply felt but produced, amplified and sold. Guided by a sharp, disarming and unexpectedly funny central voice, we meet the scientists, media figures, survivors, entrepreneurs and true believers who each hold a stake in how we see these animals – and who each defend their own version of the truth. What emerges is a story about us far more than about sharks: about how a culture manufactures monsters, and what that costs. Because while a single dramatic moment can dominate the headlines for a week, the quieter reality is an ecological one – over a third of shark and ray species are now threatened with extinction, fished and consumed almost unnoticed.Funny, surprising and occasionally absurd, the film is an environmental story in disguise – inviting audiences to come for the sharks and leave thinking about something much bigger.
