This film transports us to Sulawesi, Indonesia, in the center of the coral triangle which has the highest coral biodiversity in the world. We meet Dafrin — a Bajau and free diver who shares a deep connection to the ocean that began in his childhood. Bajau people have lived and fished in these waters for centurie, with communities made up of some of the most renowned natural free divers in the world. He admits to trying dynamite fishing, but when he saw it destroying the coral reefs where he fished, he vowed to never fish that way again. —GC

'dhīvaraḥ' reveals the spiritual and arduous way of life for coastal fishermen in Malpe Harbour, Karnataka, India. Peak fishing occurs in the post-monsoon season. Fishermen pray for their safe journeys as they head out to sea for many days at a time. Owing to climate change and warming waters, they are forced to travel much farther, sometimes as far as 375 nautical miles, spending more money on fuel and ice to keep their fish fresh. This film provides hope for local fishermen and fish populations through the strength of the local Sasihithlu Fishing Cooperative Society and the Ministry of Fisheries sustainable management initiatives. —GC

Mako comes from the Maori word for shark and the mako shark holds a deep spiritual importance to the people of Atearoa (New Zealand). But mako sharks are being harvested globally at an alarming rate and becoming endangered. Divers, photographers and Maori leaders come together to protect the Mako shark, and restore the health of Tangaroa, the god of the sea and progenitor of fish. —DM

If an indigenous resident of Kotzebue, Alaska, finds a mammoth tusk, it can be sold for a lot of money, but since these people co-existed with mammoths it is also a prized cultural artifact. The storms that expose the permafrost and its mammoth treasures also melt the permafrost, a process that could release twice the amount of carbon currently held in the Earth’s atmosphere, turning us, perhaps, into a different kind of mammoth. —SJPH

Vanuatu, a nation of 83 islands northeast of Australia, is on the forefront of the planet’s fight against the damages of climate change, which has brought Type 5 cyclones to the islands for the first time. Barak Sope, a former prime minister, and other environmental volunteers and teachers make clear, that without its mangrove forests, reefs, sustainable fishing practices, and appropriate foreign help, Vanuatu could be the first national casualty of world climate change. —SJPH

Sawalmem means sacred water, an infinite entity with divine intelligence. At UC Berkeley where our hero, a member of the Winnemem Wintu tribe studies, nobody talks about spirituality, yet already over 140 dams have been removed from California’s rivers. When all the rivers run free again, the salmon will return and his people will prosper. —KH

To the Indigenous Tlingit peoples of Southeast Alaska, herring are an important resource connecting communities and ocean ecosystems. With stunning images of Alaskan wildlife and open spaces, this film shows the importance of herring to seals, eagles, whales and people — and the risks they are facing from commercial harvesting. Together, the herring keepers are working to protect the herring of the Sitka sound, and with them sovereignty and traditional ecological knowledge. —DM