STORY

The Story

Manō is a short, animated film illustrating the human impact on sharks and coral reefs, as seen through the eyes of a Tiger Shark in Hawaiian waters over hundreds of millions of years.

The film follows a tiger shark through time cuts spanning hundreds of millions of years, from the creation of the Hawaiian islands, through the first Polynesian settlers, Ancient Hawaiians, Western contact, World War II’s Pearl Harbor attack, the 60s/70s surf/tourist/Waikiki construction explosion, and modern day commercial fishing and shark finning. The film explores the effects of pollution, climate change, illegal commercial fishing, shark finning, and their devastating results. There is a strong cultural bond between sharks and many Hawaiians families, in which these animals are revered, loved as family, and in need of protection.

The Issue

Sharks have existed for more than 400 million years. They predate dinosaurs by more than 200 million years, and they've survived four mass extinctions. Yet today, 1/4 of all shark species are threatened with extinction. Why?

Because of us.

100 million sharks are killed by humans every year, primarily from shark finning and by-catch from commercial fishing. This equates to 11,417 sharks killed every hour.

Shark finning is banned in the US, but it’s still happening in our waters, and shark populations are declining in disturbing numbers each year. In November 2018, a dozen men were arrested at the Honolulu airport for trying to illegally smuggle nearly 1,000 shark fins out of Hawai'i. Sharks mature late and have low reproductive rates so they won’t be able to sustain their populations if this continues. As an apex predator, their role in the ecosystem is vital to keep the oceans balanced. Without them, the ecosystem will ultimately collapse, affecting everyone on the planet.

The Goal

The ultimate goal for the film is to promote shark conservation in Hawaiian waters and around the world. Just like the movie Jaws inspired fear, the goal for the film is to inspire respect and care for sharks. For ways you can help save sharks, please click here.

The Process

Stay tuned for more info about the film’s development and production processes.

Tattoo Design

The tattoo on the arms of the generations of family members was designed by Dr. Kona Keala-Quinabo, who is a Hawaiian cultural practitioner of kākau uhi, or traditional Hawaiian tattoos. The tattoo design resembles the side of a niuhi (tiger shark) when the character's arm is held parallel to the ground. The striped/bar design and the line of triangles were chosen to resemble the stripes of the niuhi and its lateral line. The vertical bars of triangles represent different types of niho (teeth) to resemble a shark. The horizontal rows of triangles are called lei hala, which represent the passing of knowledge through the generations. In the film, the tattoo starts off as only a few bars on the paddler in the voyaging canoe. As time passes, the tattoo evolves throughout the generations of family members, and additional bands are added to the tattoo.