By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
When it comes to making a powerful statement through expression, Christine Ren does it with purpose, passion and pride. This young lady is making quite a name for herself, combining her skills, expertise and hobbies into one fascinating project to make a huge difference and educate the public on a large scale.
Though the name may not be familiar to you just yet, the year 2017 may just be the year that Christine Ren gains plenty of recognition. Her brilliance will come to light in a most magnificent way. For 20+ years, Christine has been a dancer, expressing herself with grace and sophistication. She earned her Master’s Degree in Marine Affairs & Policy from the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science. In addition to her love of dance, possessing a love of the marine world led her to obtain her Open Water Scuba Certification. Ren has combined these two impressionable skills to intrigue and entertain those with a penchant for our precious oceans. On top of all this expertise is an environmentalist, documentary filmmaker, Ecommerce business owner and a devoted advocate for social change through cutting-edge media techniques. If we can change the way we treat our environment, we will make great progress in saving the ocean and everything beneath its depths.
For over six years, Christine Ren has been drawing amazing sketches, each with a story to be told and then bringing that story to life with the assistance of a very talented photographer, Brett Stanley, and a dive shop pool, along with plenty of props and countless number of hours. She is proud to be able to create a bridge between her passions and the beauty of dance.
So far, each campaign that Christine undertakes focuses on an important issue that requires highlighting in respect to our oceans. ‘Blind Spots’ began as a fluid and elegant portrait, and yet, had a bit of satirical humor to it. The theme awakens us to the drastic reality that plastic is slowly destroying our oceans and its inhabitants. Christine invites those who watch this documentary to take the #BlindSpots challenge, if only for 30 days, but, hopefully indefinitely. Forgo all plastic and spread the word on your favorite social media platform, whether it be Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter. Challenge others to do the same.
#JellyfishSoup is another imaginative, yet pragmatic, look at an issue that confronts us daily and is gaining more scrutiny. The portrait, turned film, is stressing the need to buy only sustainable seafood. Why not accept this challenge as well, for at least 30 days?
There are a number of issues that have kept Christine Ren busy as she highlights the importance of each. Plastic pollution, mangrove deforestation and global warming are just some of the topics. Christine’s main mission is to create an ocean revolution for all to participate in and to forever change the health of our oceans.
The work never ends and with it comes plenty of reward and satisfaction. Next up is another film project, The Red Road, which will be released early this year. The documentary focuses on the destruction of coral reefs by bleaching and is filmed on location in Phuket, Thailand. The making of this documentary holds a significant meaning to Christine because, for the first time, she is doing her underwater performance in the open ocean rather than in a pool. Take #TheRedRoad for a spiritual upheaval on a path to truth, respect and harmony within nature and with others.
These various endeavors require a good deal of preparation, materials, post-production imagery, and video edits. The costs can quickly add up once the project totally comes to fruition. Christine is now in the process of submitting her underwater dance videos of Jellyfish Soup and Blind Spots to the Beneath The Waves Film Festival. To date, everything has been self-funded by Ren herself. However, in order to continue on with creating these informative documentaries, she needs all of our monetary and moral support. Even small contributions can add up. She has set up a page and is looking forward to launching her kickstarter campaign on January 9, 2017, offering perks to her supporters in return for her gratitude and appreciation of their assistance.
This young and vivacious entrepreneur has plenty of ideas to keep her busy for the next few years. She is examining the possibility of having a film shoot in Hawaii to combat ocean trawling, a shoot in Malaysia to promote mangrove nursery grounds and a series shoot on location in Australia to save the Great Barrier Reef.
Check out all the exceptional masterpieces of Christine Ren and fall in love with her work, support her efforts and join the Ocean Revolution. It is plausibly possible that if we put our hearts and souls into Ren’s projects, each campaign will become ever more powerful, potent and commanding.
