'Pioneering scuba diver Valerie Taylor, who has dedicated her life to exposing the myth surrounding our fear of sharks.' (Production summary)
'Any film about shark conservation faces a dilemma: how to de-sensationalise an animal whose cinematic charisma relies on the combination of thrill and fear. What reels us in as viewers is the excitement of an up-close, full-frontal encounter with a dangerous predator. Film scholar Tom Gunning talks about this as ‘lust for the eyes’, when an image ‘rushes forward to meet the viewer’, provoking ‘a complicated sort of excitement bordering on terror’.' (Introduction)
'Valerie Taylor , 85, is a diver, filmmaker and marine conservationist living near Manly, Sydney. She is the subject of a new documentary, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks'
'She is renowned amongst her peers for her gutsy, pioneering environmentalism over the last 50 years, but it is only now that Valerie Taylor's legacy is being celebrated on screen.' (Introduction)
A new documentary Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story shines a light on Valerie Taylor AM, a pioneering ocean explorer.
'Any film about shark conservation faces a dilemma: how to de-sensationalise an animal whose cinematic charisma relies on the combination of thrill and fear. What reels us in as viewers is the excitement of an up-close, full-frontal encounter with a dangerous predator. Film scholar Tom Gunning talks about this as ‘lust for the eyes’, when an image ‘rushes forward to meet the viewer’, provoking ‘a complicated sort of excitement bordering on terror’.' (Introduction)
'Valerie Taylor , 85, is a diver, filmmaker and marine conservationist living near Manly, Sydney. She is the subject of a new documentary, Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks'
