Equipped with an internal GPS, the 25-year-old scaly scale leaves the coast of France and heads to Cypress Bay, where she was born to lay her eggs. Above it, the white stork, having crossed the Sahara, returns to Europe for the summer. His goal is sacred: to find a mate. At the same time, schools of bluefin tuna arrive in the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. And they want to mate where they were born. A family of killer whales roam the same crystal clear waters, and a male seahorse is busy brooding the osprey. This is the only male creature on Earth that conceives and gives birth to its young (and immediately dies). On the surface of the sea, a small 8-month-old humpback whale, which already weighs 8 tons and is 10 meters long, is trying to learn from its mother how to hunt for its food. It’s time to wean. A little to the east, a family of bottlenose dolphins is caring for their elderly leader, who is starting to lose his bearings. No, Alzheimer’s disease doesn’t just affect humans.

It’s amazing how much life there is in the Mediterranean Sea, in this small gap in the earth’s crust, next to us. Especially knowing the unbearable pressure he receives from all sides. With an area less than 1% of the oceans, it is home to 10% of all marine species, and at the same time, 30% of the world’s maritime traffic passes through it.

This contrast is underlined in the documentary “Mediterranean – Life Under Siege”, the largest documentary on life in the Mediterranean to date, which opens in theaters on 6 October. Filming lasted two years and took place in 12 different countries with Greece as the main character (this is an international production, filmed in Greece by Anemon with the support of EKOME and ERT). Among others, shooting took place in the Gulf of Cyprus, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Amorgos, Santorini, Makronissos, Alonissos and Gyaros.

“I believe the future of the Mediterranean is in Greece,” director Frederic Fuzea told K.

“Greece is at the center of the Mediterranean defense,” Frédéric Fuzea, an award-winning French filmmaker, told K. “No other country has such a long coastline, such a number of deserted islands, such a variety of waters and landscapes. The most serious efforts to protect the Mediterranean are already being made in Greece, where the largest organizations operate, MOm for the monk seal, Archelon for the sea turtle, etc. I believe that the future of the Mediterranean is in Greece.” Our country, of course, also poses a threat to many species. Characteristic is the episode of the documentary film with a sea turtle, which temporarily loses its bearings due to the lights of shops and music on the beach of Kyparissia.

The idea originated in 2019, but filming began in May 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. “There were no tourists, no boats, no ferries, no ships. The sea and shores were as they were in the 15th century. So quiet. And the animals felt it. Suddenly, they could be less afraid. They appeared in unexpected places. It was a time of relief for nature, which gave us the opportunity to shoot scenes that we didn’t even know we had,” comments Fuzea.

Underwater shooting was something new for him. “There are many problems at sea. The wind can complicate things, the sea itself when it’s choppy, even how clear the water makes a big difference when you’re shooting below the surface of the sea. Great difficulties, of course, arise when shooting at a depth of 50 or 70 meters. Then every detail is critical.”

Anemon, in collaboration with the Cyclades Conservation Foundation, will show the film on the islands and in schools throughout Greece. “It is both thrilling and emotional to realize that everything you see in the documentary is happening right next to us, in our own neighborhood, interacting with our own choices, as units and communities,” Executive Director CPF underlines in “K” Annie Mitropoulou. In the fall, ERT will show a six-episode series with even more intense content.