The UfM takes part in the new documentary series “Mediterranean”
6 April 2022 – This multi-episode documentary, Mediterranean, Odyssey for Life, directed by Frédéric Fougea and narrated by Camélia Jordana and Guillaume Néry, will show the beauty of our shared sea through breathtaking footage and give a message of hope.
The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has been working on environmental and climate issues for many years and, as such, is very proud to have participated in this documentary, featuring an interview with the Secretary General. As an organisation working on regional cooperation, the goal is to raise awareness and build consensus among its Member States on how to respond to our shared challenges. The fight against global warming, with an impact that transcends borders, is a major challenge that can only be addressed collectively. For the first time last October in Cairo, the 42 UfM Member States, all of which belong to different climate negotiation groups and have vastly different levels of economic development, were able to find a consensus and adopted an ambitious ministerial declaration, marking their will to act for the protection, conservation and sustainable use of the Mediterranean Sea.
The series was produced by Boréales and Federation, in co-production with France 2 and several partners including BBC (UK), Terra Mater and NDR (Germany), RAI (Italy), ERT (Greece), RTS (Switzerland) and Ushuaïa TV and Movistar (Spain).
The Mediterranean series featured more than 50 scientists, 40 camera operators, 12 co-directors, 15 co-authors and several hundred people over a period of four years across 15 countries. It required state-of-the-art technical resources for both underwater and aerial filming and experienced teams were needed to film in such delicate conditions.
The Mediterranean, Odyssey for Life series will be broadcast over two evenings one week apart on France 2, on the 12th and 19th of April at 9.10 pm. Further broadcast dates for the region will be shared shortly.
Episode 1: Bringing life into the world
Some animals are capable of great feats to give birth. This episode follows the incredible adventures of a loggerhead turtle, a white stork, a group of bluefin tuna and a seahorse as they give birth in a sea that is overwhelmed by humans and their activities.
Episode 2: Looking after the living
The second episode shows how far some species go to care for their offspring in this high-pressure environment. Sperm whales, octopuses, turtles, endangered sea eagles and jellyfish.
Episode 3: Growing up
It’s the story of how the young Mediterranean animals overcome the difficulties of growing up: monk seals, baleen whales, hawks and cicadas.
Episode 4: Ageing and rebirth
An episode on a pink flamingo in its old age, a dolphin grandmother, a thousand-year-old olive tree and seagrass that’s lived for millennia, demonstrating the extraordinary resilience of the Mediterranean in the face of the onslaught of human activities.
Episode 5: Science: the sentinel of the Mediterranean
This episode explains how science is coming to the rescue of the Mediterranean: protecting whales, tuna, monk seals, seagrass meadows and flamingos. It shows the answers to the problems caused by plastic.
