In the Press, Daily Newspaper in the East!

September 2005, Following the success of 'The Perfect Reef' World Premiere and 'The Special Jury Award' given to 'Talking With Fishes', antics of 'The Reef Series' make for another full page article:

GUY AND ANITA TALK WITH FISHES AS WITH THEIR OWN KIND

26.09.2005 00:01

Guy and Anita Chaumette’s film “Talking with Fishes” opens the door to the enchanting underwater world and the psychology of marine creatures.

Photo: Snapshot from the film

Marine biologist Guy Chaumette: “I was observing this fish for a long time – eventually it swam up to me and literally kissed me….” We are speaking about Guy and his wife Anita’s film “Talking with Fishes”, in which the marine biologist couple searches for answers to the question of whether we are able to win the trust of fishes and talk to them in their own language.

Guy and Anita Chaumette are so enchanted by the underwater world that already three films have been born out of material, which was mainly shot in the Caribbean Archipelago. Two of the films, “Talking with Fishes” and “The Perfect Reef”, were shown to the Estonian audience at Matsalu Wildlife and Environmental Film Festival.

“Talking with Fishes” is the third film in the series and according to Guy, the one with the most unusual approach. “We wanted to show that a fish is more than sushi-food; that they are individuals with manners and feelings, and that they can be communicated with,” he says.

In Search of Perfection

In this film, the authors intentionally avoid the scientific approach. They try to adapt to the body language of the underwater world in a humoristic way, and as every proper love story, the film about the life of fish culminates with a kiss.

“It is important to show people that a world so rich in customs and rituals needs to be preserved,” Guy stresses.

At Matsalu, the audience also took to the other film by the marine biologist filmmakers – “The Perfect Reef”, which speaks about the fate of the endangered coral reefs, and the world premiére of which took place in Estonia on Friday.

The material of the film focuses on finding a perfect, unspoiled and healthy reef – a large amount of coral reefs, created by Anthozoa, are irreversibly damaged due to inconsiderate human activities, such as fishing or diving adventures of tourist hordes.

“What people do not know, is that corals play an important part in curing human health. Scientists have used them, for instance, as components in anti-cancer drugs as well as for alleviating discomforts of AIDS-patients. It might be that during the next 10-20 years, discoveries that have been made largely with the help of coral reefs, lead to changes in medicine,” Guy accentuates.

Acknowledging Problems

The authors believe that it is by filming the coral reef that they can make the public aware of the problems of this endangered organism, because most people lack the possibility to get to know the underwater world themselves.

“Conservation of coral reefs is a global problem and not something only one country or area should worry about,” believes Guy Chaumette. “If drastic measures are not taken, coral reefs will disappear in thirty years. And even though scientists are not as pessimistic as I am, I do not think politicians should hide behind more ‘’important’’ matters and therefore shove the issue of reef protection to the background.”

The second film of the trilogy, the authors are currently working on, is also to pursue educational goals. Speaking of Matsalu Film Festival, Guy and Anita definitely promise to come back and bring along a documentary the kind of which has never been seen before.