The Understory Film Festival recently concluded its ninth annual edition, with Munro Martin Parklands in Cairns, Australia hosting over 1,000 guests who supported the local community’s film industry over the course of a two-day weekend. Movie lovers sit under the stars to enjoy 19 locally produced short films selected from a record number of entries.
Among the 10 category winners are super talents underwater photographer and cameraman (and DPG contributor) Julia Sumerling, whose short film 3000 coral reefs won the top prize in the Open Film Category. Filmed in Julia’s backyard in the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea (she is a longtime photo video specialist for GBR professionals) Mike Ball Expedition), the film is so named because the GBR is not a single reef but is in fact made up of more than 3,000 reefs.
The film is particularly impressive because of the music that accompanies it, a piece entitled “Daughters of Sol” by Dutch-Iranian composer Aftab Darvishi commissioned for the show. 50 for the future: Kronos . learning repertoire and performed by the Grammy Award-winning Kronos Quartet.
If you haven’t seen the movie—and haven’t heard the music—you must. And once you’ve done that, make sure to check out “Absolutely Essential by JulesAn Underwater Photographer’s Guide to the Great Barrier Reef” on DPG.
3000 coral reefs
