About Project
Welcome to Driftlines, a curated collection of ocean films that center justice and equity. These films offer diverse perspectives from around the world, connected by an uncompromising commitment to narrative sovereignty and relational production. That is, these films are made in community with people - not “about” them - often over the course of many years. Together, they offer counternarratives to mainstream media representations of ocean justice issues, unsettling dominant systems of knowledge and power. With Driftlines, our goal is to change global narratives around ocean justice. We set out to do this through education: we believe that by teaching with these films, we can start to transform the way students understand and relate to ocean justice issues, with ripple effects that reach far beyond the classroom. This means that while Driftlines is open to everyone, it is primarily designed as a teaching collection. We hope to inspire teachers to share these films with their students and spark conversations about the relationships between representation, media, and justice across ocean worlds.
How To Use This Collection
You can activate this collection in two forms.
First, you can download the Driftlines Catalog, which serves as the heart of the collection. In the catalog you can find introductions to our 20 films, divided across five themes: Ocean Governance, Coastal Management and Access, Food Sovereignty, Ocean Pollution, and Climate Resilience. Each theme is grounded in an introductory essay that sets up core concepts and contextualizes the films, putting them in conversation with each other. You can also find tips for teaching with film, as well as in-depth interviews with many of the directors, bringing to life the off-screen social worlds of each film project. You can also access the full collection of films through the website. Here you can browse the collection through the themed sections or by searching the online catalog for specific locations or topics. Both routes will take you to individual film pages, where you can access distribution and contact information. You will also find additional teaching resources: books, articles, podcasts, and other materials that you can add to your syllabus to accompany any film you choose to teach. The website is designed to be fluid and interactive, as well as dynamic - in the future we plan to add more films and themed sections, so stay tuned!
I come from a culture of storytelling, and I’m used to listening to people speak. For me, every human story, every life matters.
Contributors
Driftlines is supported by Ocean Nexus, where our mission is to establish social equity at the center of ocean governance. Guided by principles of equity and justice, Ocean Nexus connects scholars worldwide to share stories centered around historically marginalized perspectives. Our community of researchers and practitioners work to understand inequities unique to specific contexts around the world, and to address interconnected systems of inequity, oppression, and dispossession. Through scholarship, storytelling, and public policy, we aim to catalyze transformational change in ocean governance, envisioning equitable oceans for humanity. For more, see: https://oceannexus.org/
Driftlines, along with Ocean Nexus, is also supported by The Nippon Foundation’s program for marine research capacity building. Founded in 1962, The Nippon Foundation is a Japan-based grant maker that partners with organizations around the world to accelerate social innovation, leveling the playing field for present and future generations. The Foundation provides long-term support for creative and impactful initiatives that tackle society’s most challenging issues, pointing the way toward a society where all people support one another. For more, see: https://en.nippon-foundation.or.jp/
Special Thanks
Our deepest gratitude to the directors and production teams behind these films, as well as to the many people who share their stories with us on screen. This collection is possible because of their incredible creativity and commitment to more just ocean futures.