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Project Detail

Reef Builders

fully mature, reconstructed reef, Salisi' Besar Reef, Indonesia
boy swims over natural reef in Indonesia
regrowing reef on Reef Stars, Salisi' Besar Reef, Indonesia
People underwater carrying a net, installing Reef Stars, Hawai'i
A squid fisherman on his boat during dusk, Salisi' Besar Reef, Indonesia
A woman looks over her shoulder behind her with the ocean in front of her

Synopsis

For the last eight years, off a remote island in Indonesia, a remarkable experiment has been carried out: a once desolate underwater rubble-field of broken and dead coral has been carefully replanted and regrown back to full health. In 2025, the reef on Selasi Besar is the largest rebuilt reef on earth. It is an unprecedented success. Selasi Besar sends a message of hope to the world. But can the success in Indonesia be replicated and rolled out on a global scale? For this experiment to make a difference it has to work everywhere.

Official Selection, SXSW 2025
Official Selection, Quad Cities Environmental Film Series 2026 [WINNER Special Jury Award for Environmental Action]
Official Selection, Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2026
Official Selection, One Earth Film Festival 2027
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Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Features
Running time
75 min
Format
DCP 4K
Director
Stephen Shearman 1st Feature
Producer
Stephen Shearman
Executive Producer
Victoria Noble, Ben Padfield
Editor
Julian Rodd
Director of Photography
Ossian Bacon
Sound
Peter Lee
Principal cast
Auli'i Cravalho
Underwater Photography
Mark Sharman, Tom Parks, Kyle McBurnie

Genre

Climate / Environment Science

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

AMVStream/Red Studios

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