It's a short film that wants to “knock the table” in favor of a cause. The action begins in the distant 30th century and goes through the 29s of the last century, until it reaches the present day. Over the XNUMX minutes, there is mystery, action, hope and a transversal message: saving the Ria Formosa seahorses (the ones that still remain…) is imperative. That seems to be being heard.
João Rodrigues, from Chimera Visuals, is the director of "War Horses", the name of the short film that will premiere this Saturday, November 23, at 16:30 pm, at the Municipal Auditorium of Olhão. Marine biologist and underwater photographer, he dived into the waters of the Ria Formosa to show the seahorses that (still) exist there.
Once considered the largest community in the world, this species faces serious risks of disappearance, largely due to illegal capture for the Asian market and trawling.
«Some people say that there are 150… I continue to say that the current community is 100. 15 years ago, there were 2 million seahorses in the estuary. These are overwhelming numbers», stresses the biologist in an interview with Sul Informação.
From April to September, João Rodrigues, in the company of other divers, photographers and scientists, did all the work related to the documentary.
«From the capture of aerial, underwater images, audio recording, narration. We did everything. Now we're just doing some retouching. This whole process was very challenging. My idea has always been to catch the months when there are more people, during the summer, and those where there are fewer», he reveals.
But whoever thinks that this is a film that outlines an idyllic scenario about seahorses is wrong.
«In the past, as I show in the film, he was almost a mythical being, much admired. But now? Now it's worth nothing. Many people don't even know that there are seahorses in the estuary. For this reason, I want to show how the relationship with animals, the esteem for the seahorse, has evolved», he says.
Thus, he reveals, "only towards the end" does the short take on a message "of hope".
“Until then, it's always action, suffering and even a certain mysticism. It's a film based on a true story that has three parallel stories happening at the same time», says the director.
The main objective of this project, which had the support of the Municipality of Olhão, is to alert all spectators, regardless of age, to the need to protect the seahorses in the estuary.
“We want to reach people from 0 to 100 years old, as they say. We can all make the change. For example, a grandfather can alert a grandchild and vice versa», he illustrates, smiling.
In the dives he made, João Rodrigues keeps in his memory the «attacks» he saw under water. «I came across whole garbage bags, lithium batteries, everything…», he says.
There is one story, in particular, that he remembers well because of the impact it had.
“It was a night when we had spent the night on the houseboat. Around 5 in the morning, we were getting ready to leave and there is a boat, with two people, that crashes into ours. They followed and, five meters away from us, they stopped and began to hand drag. A deeply illegal act done there, in our beards. It is exemplary, showing how this is not fiction. It really happens».
Therefore, João Rodrigues remembers that one of the biggest difficulties he had was finding the raw material of the short: the seahorses. “It was really difficult and that demonstrates the state of affairs,” he says. Currents, as well as rain and thunderstorm, were another challenge.
Even so, João Rodrigues has no doubts that he would do it all over again, not least because he speaks with «proud and hope» of the changes he has already noticed.
“Throughout the documentary, what gave me the most pleasure was seeing that things are starting to be built. It's not just talk anymore», he considers.
The marine biologist refers to the implementation next year, already confirmed, of two protection zones for seahorses in the Ria Formosa: one near the airport of Faro, another on the east side of the island of Culatra.
“The creation of these sanctuaries is crucial, because they are also expected to have a video surveillance system, in addition to signaling. This step forward took place during the filming of the documentary and I believe that we also made a contribution to that», considers João Rodrigues.
And what other measures would be needed besides this one? For the director, the «control of boat traffic within the estuary is essential» as well as the «increase in the number of operatives» of the Maritime Authority. “I accompanied them and saw their difficulties. They do the impossible in an area of immense jurisdiction», he says.
After the debut, which already has a full house and will have the presence of minister of the sea, in a «sign of recognition that I'm very proud of», these “War Horses” will go around spreading their message.
“In December, the national tour plan will come out, which will include visits to auditoriums, libraries and universities. We have also already had invitations to take the short film to New York, Budapest and Spain», reveals João Rodrigues.
In parallel, the objective is to nominate “War Horses” for festivals. "We want to take the message everywhere", reinforces the director.
And there is still time to save the “Rei Formoso da Ria”, as João Rodrigues called them one day, in an article he published in the magazine National Geographic?
“I have no doubt that it is. People are more aware: I notice that. I have spoken with many fishermen who are against illegal catching and this is a clear sign. People are more alert and are becoming the watchmen of the seahorses in the ria», he concludes.
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