New animated short film about sharks featured in Maui webinar, Jan. 11

The evolving relationship between man and shark is the focus of a new animated short film, Manō, which will be presented and discussed during Maui Nui Marine Resource Council’s next Know Your Ocean Speaker Series webinar.

Brittany Biggs, director and producer of Manō, will lead the screening and discussion of the film, along with cultural advisors Mike and Kaikea Nakachi. The webinar will be held Jan. 11 at 5:30 p.m. Attendance is free but advanced registration is required. Register here.

Ancient Hawaiians revered sharks, called manō, recognizing their potential danger but admiring their strength and role in marine ecosystems. Many Hawaiian families denoted sharks as ‘aumakua, personal or family gods that originated as a deified ancestor, which takes on physical forms. 

The film, which is about 10 minutes long, follows humankind’s relationship with these animals through the eyes of a tiger shark in Hawaiʻi’s ever-changing waters. From the ancient Hawaiians first settlement of the islands to present day, viewers will get a specialized view of how these animals are both revered, feared, and even killed in a world of once-pristine seas to an ocean now desecrated with pollution and capitalized as a economic resource through activities such as shark finning.