New Documentary Highlights Sargassum’s Hidden Benefits

A cinematic project developed by state filmmakers could radically change perceptions of the sargassum crisis, focusing not on pure science but on impacting the public by presenting the seaweed not just as a nuisance but as “a someone” and a “super important species” with underestimated properties and benefits.

Forty percent of the material for this work, titled “Sargasso,” has already been filmed after the team conducted an extensive international tour covering Mexico, Belize, and the Dominican Republic to capture the scope and effects in the most impacted Caribbean countries, according to director and screenwriter Sharon Alpuche and documentary photographer Sebastián Azcárate.

“The initiative stems from a shared concern about the disastrous phenomenon of massive sargassum arrivals since 2018, which have generated stratospheric consequences and many pending issues in its management,” explained the creators of the documentary.

The filmmakers indicated that this work does not focus on the scientific aspect but on a human and artistic portrayal of the problem facing the Mexican Caribbean, including fishermen and communities, as well as the environmental perspective of researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

They explained that recently, the project closed a co-production with Spain, which will give it distribution in Europe.

Additionally, the documentary has generated great interest in international forums, such as the congress in Brussels, where the European Union showed curiosity about the quantities and heavy metals of the seaweed for its possible transformation into biogas, biodiesel, and biofertilizers, and its application in cosmetics, as major brands like L’Oréal Paris already do with Dominican sargassum.

The filmmaker indicated that the next step is to film in Caribbean islands like Guadeloupe, where the impact is so severe that it has caused communication problems and health risks, highlighting the differences in education and management of the issue in European territories.

Despite the great international interest, the team has faced difficulties in obtaining national funds.

The director noted that although the material focuses on the benefits of sargassum and its importance in conserving marine biodiversity. “For me, it was impactful to see how among the sargassum there was a tiny shrimp eating the seaweed.”

She emphasized that despite its benefits and potential for reuse, many entrepreneurs are deterred by the difficulty of ensuring a constant raw material supply. However, the recent declaration of sargassum as a “fishery product” in Mexico could generate a regulatory framework that incentivizes investment.

To continue filming this documentary, which is being promoted by the production company Felina, the team launched the “Fora” initiative, an event aimed at weaving ties between art, science, and society to raise funds for the completion of the documentary. On the 29th, at Café Donceles, the teaser trailer of “Sargasso” will be screened, along with exhibitions and presentations of environmental resilience initiatives.