RETURN OF THE MANGROVES, 9min., UK
Directed by Leo Thorn
Return of the Mangroves follows the Mangrove Action Project (MAP) team to El Salvador to assess the health of mangroves in the Bay of Jiquilisco. MAP Co-Founder Alfredo Quarto and Jim Enright return to the bay 12 years after they conducted a mangrove restoration training, and with the help of Dr Laura Michie discover the impact of the training on the local people and the mangroves of the bay.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?
I would say the two motivations behind the film were the place and the people. Hearing about the Bay of Jiquilisco, which is actually the largest mangrove forest in Central America, the wildlife, the local communities, it got me really excited about the opportunity to film there.

I work for an organisation called the Mangrove Action Project conserving and restoring mangroves around tropical coastlines. We had actually visited the Bay of Jiquilisco 12 years ago to conduct restoration training as the health of their mangroves were in decline. So we basically set out to capture and discover the impact of the training on the people and the mangroves of the bay. We had heard about the positive outcomes from the project, but we wanted to see it ourselves and tell the story from those who were closest to it. Everyone we met and worked with in El Salvador were so inspiring, they all had such an intimate relationship with their mangroves and were working very hard to protect it.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you
to make this film?
I had known about the project for a few years before we had the opportunity to go and visit. We filmed last February 2023, there was a long wait for the translations to come back, and then it took me about a month to edit it.

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?
Nature Recovery

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?
It's always tough to film in a language you don't understand and you never quite know what you are getting until everything is translated later on. So that always throws a few surprises. Mangrove forests can be a magnet for mosquitoes and the mozzies here were the worst I've ever experienced so far!

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking
about your film in the feedback video?

The feedback video was so touching. It's not very often you hear thoughts of people who are out of your normal circle so it was really interesting and refreshing to get feedback from those who know little or nothing about mangroves, or the project.

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?
My background was in animation and graphics for the built environment, which was a lot of long hours behind the computer screen. My first film project was back in 2015 and I realised around that time that I could tell similar stories, but with the help of those that mattered most.

7. What film have you seen the most in your life?
I grew up in Japan and endlessly watched My Neighbour Totoro.....and I still watch it today.

8. What other elements of the festival experience can we and other
festivals implement to satisfy you and help you further your filmmaking
career?
I've had films screened at various festivals but never managed to go myself so if there was ever any support to get the filmmakers to the festivals, that would be amazing. Any networking opportunities to speak to platforms or distributors or those in the climate circle would be incredible also.

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your
experiences been working on the festival platform site?
FilmFreeway is the best platform I've come across to submit films into festivals. Everything is very clear and well organised, and smooth when it comes to selecting relevant festivals for your films.

10. What is your favorite meal?
Ramen

11. What is next for you? A new film?
I'm currently working on a short character led film about a woman in a small fishing village in Southern Thailand who discovers the power of mangroves and bees. It's the first of a series of cinematic documentaries that's motivated by my passion for mangrove forests and characters I meet along the way.