Clinic Film Festival

 Master of Ceremonies Ernie Brooks is frequently referred to as the Ansel Adams of the Underwater World for the breathtaking, timeless black and white images that he has captured on film. As a noted professional photographer, educator and ambassador to the industry, Mr. Brooks has won international acclaim for underwater photography and audio/visual presentation. He is a member of the Professional Photographers of America and is one of forty photographers in the world admitted to the prestigious Camera Craftsmen of America. Mr. Brooks has been a trailblazer in the development of underwater photographic equipment and technique, and has witnessed great industry advances. And though he has harnessed and implemented much of that new technology, at a time when a plethora of color underwater photographs illustrate magazines and glossy brochures, he, perhaps surprisingly, favors black and white. In the pursuit of dramatic marine images, he has descended into the fascinating waters beneath the polar icecaps as well as into the depths of almost every ocean on Earth. His photographic legacy is the evidence that has illustrated changes in our environment, while he himself remains a tremendous voice in our need to witness the effect of that change. Ernie will be sharing some of his favorite images with us throughout the film festival.

 Over the past 15 years, Howard & Michele Hall have been able to combine their skills to produce a team that is widely recognized as the best in the marine wildlife filmmaking business. Between them, they have received seven Emmys for films produced for television including, Jewels of the Caribbean Sea. They also produced the TV special, Seasons in the Sea, which received the Golden Panda award, the most prestigious award in natural history filmmaking, and many other awards. They are perhaps best known for their underwater IMAX films, starting with Into the Deep, the first underwater 3-D large format film ever made, a film that remains the most profitable 3-D IMAX film ever made. They followed up this critically acclaimed film with Island of the Sharks, produced in 1999 by Michele and directed by Howard for WGBH/Nova and the New England Aquarium. Island of the Sharks was an ambitious wildlife behavior film about the marine life of Cocos Island, Costa Rica. They are in Boston this weekend after just opening up their latest IMAX 3D work, “Deep Sea – 3D”, and we’re delighted to be able to incorporate them into our program. They’re going to share some special highlights from the “Deep Sea”, as well as some of their favorite HD footage.

  An award-winning filmmaker specializing in underwater and on-water photography, Mike deGruy’s 20+ year career has allowed him to film in the world’s most remote and spectacular locations. Best known for his uncanny ability to capture unique animal behavior on film, Mike has pulled back the curtains that shroud many of the ocean’s inhabitants in mystery, allowing the countless people who have shared his images a better appreciation and understanding of the world beneath the sea. He is perhaps best known for his work with Discovery Channels Shark Week, and his engaging personality and high voltage footage has made Mike a favorite of Sea Rover audiences since he first graced our stage fifteen years ago. A cinematographer, producer, director, writer and television host, Mike’s work has been featured on specials for BBC, PBS, National Geographic Society, of course, the Discovery Channel, and many other venues. A great deal of his footage appeared in the award winning series “The Trials of Life”, narrated by David Attenborough. He’s been spending more and more time exploring the waters beyond the continental slope using a variety of equipment including private submersibles, and he’ll be sharing some of his most recent, and favorite footage from several of these deep adventures.

Underwater Wildlife Producer Jo Ruxton has been a key member of the BBC’s world famous Natural History Unit diving team for many years and has been organizing and directing underwater shoots since the first days of filming on the award-winning Blue Planet series in 1997. Joanna studied Zoology at London University and moved to Hong Kong in the 1980’s. She joined the World Wildlife Fund in Hong Kong in 1990 to establish their Marine Conservation Programme; a significant task in a place that had no legislation to protect the coastal waters and where massive development was taking place before the handover to China. During her tenure there, she was instrumental in setting up four Marine Protected Areas. Over the past decade she has been involved in numerous underwater film projects around the world, from under the Antarctic Ice, to the pristine reefs of the Caribbean and the Pacific. To learn more about some of Jo’s most recent works, please check out her website, www.mediadivecrews.com.

A Boston Sea Rover, was certified by the original San Diego Divers in 1958. He has made over 5,000 dives worldwide, and his underwater photographs have been extensively published. He is a resident of La Jolla, CA and continues to travel the world with his wife Hiro, diving, taking photographs, and presenting slide shows to dive clubs and children all over the US. He is also fortunate enough to own one of the deepest diving private submersibles in the world. To date, his submarine has made over 800 dives. The submersible has been a primary asset on six different research expeditions, and over 100 dives have been made for science. The submarine is equipped with the latest technologies, including a custom-designed and built articulated sampling arm, and a custom Gates Underwater housing for the Sony HD camera. Steve will be world premiering some incredible images of deep water creatures and topographies that few of us will ever see.

Terry Maas is a retired Oral Surgeon, and a National Freediving Champion (4x individual, 12x team), who is the current and former world record holder for bluefin and yellowfin tuna. He is an author, and co-inventor of the freediver’s safety vest. Terry is an accomplished u/w photographer and Chairman of the International Bluewater Spearfishing Records Committee, who has been spending more and more time in the water behind the lens of an HD camera, than a speargun.