US Audiences rally against USA Oil Giant Chevron for the Great Australian Bight

June 8, 2017

Paul Brown, Cliff Simon, and Jeff HansenWhile over in LA for Sea Shepherd’s 40 year anniversary event with Captain Paul Watson, I thought I might as well host (along with Captain Wyanda Lublink) a screening of our Great Australian Bight defence documentary titled Jeedara.

The film was well received in Hollywood by the US audiences with reactions on par with Australians, deeply blown away by the beauty and grandness of the Great Australian Bight, while deeply concerned for what BP was proposing, and what now USA oil giant Chevron and Norwegian based Statoil is pushing ahead with.

With their concerns comes a resolve and determination to rally agains Chevron.

With many people over to celebrate Sea Shepherd’s 40 years on the frontline gala, the documentary was well represented by numerous Sea Shepherd directors and captains including Captain Paul Watson, Captain Alex Cornelissen, Captain Wyanda Lublink and Captain Peter Hammarstedt. The documentary also had a celebrity line up with wonderful Sea Shepherd ambassadors, advisors, dear friends and loyal supporters in Holly Holly Combs (Charmed, Picket Fences), Richard Dean Anderson (MacGyver, Stargate), Cliff Simon (Stargate) and Donna Dixon (Spies Like Us, Waynes World, Doctor Detroit, The Nanny), creating time in their busy schedules to come and see this documentary in our fight to keep oil giants out of the Great Australian Bight.

I spoke with the star line up afterwards and they were all blown away by the documentary and believe that everyone needs to see this wonderful film put together by veteran Sea Shepherd film makers Eliza Muirhead and Tim Watters. Donna Dixon told me that she is known as the velvet sledgehammer, in that she does not hold back with honest feedback and she thought that the doco was A-class.

It seems that many of the film festivals agree, with already the film picking up awards at the Hollywood International Film Festival Awards, International Independent Film Awards and currently an official selection in the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.

Those who have not seen the documentary trailer or keen to host a screening can do so here: jeedarathefilm.org

Books detailing the expedition with the best of images can still be purchased here - http://seashepherd.unitee.com.au/jeedara-an-ancient-place-an-alliance-and-an-expedition-to-the-great-australia-bight.html

The documentary is now being sub titled in Spanish, French, German and Italian for audiences globally.

Sea Shepherd, along with the Great Australian alliance is committed to seeing an end to oil and gas exploration in the Great Australian Bight, truly one of the earths great natural wonders and priceless in terms of biodiversity and an integral part of humanities life support systems.

Personally it was a real honour to be over in LA with my wife Marina for Sea Shepherds celebration of 40 years on the frontline, a celebration of Captain Paul Watsons un compromising vision to defend, conserve and protect our oceans. I feel extremely honoured to be part of this movement and always thank paul for creating the vehicle to make a difference. Its also worth noting the likes of Martin Sheen, who were also at the Gala, who have stood by and supported paul back in the beginnings of Sea Shepherd. Given most of the air we breathe comes from our oceans, they truly are our life support, however the alarming statistic is that they are missing 40% of their phytoplankton, little plants that give us the air we breathe. 

We can have all the cures in the world for people and it will all be for nothing if we do not look after nature, its nature that maintains our life support systems.

This is what every Sea Shepherd understands and this is why we fight so hard for life, because if there is one thing worth fighting for on this planet, we call home, its life.

For the Oceans

Jeff Hansen

Managing Director - Sea Shepherd Australia
Director - Sea Shepherd Global
Director - Sea Shepherd New Zealand

David Hance (CEO SSCS), Marina Hansen, Holly Combs, and Jeff Hansen

Sea Shepherd veteran Simon Ager with Captain Alex Cornelissen

Sea Shepherd LA volunteers with captains crew and directors

Steve Irwin Jeedara Captain Wyanda Lublink and Jeff Hansen