"Reef Builders" Documentary Chronicling One of the World's Largest* Coral Reef Restoration Programs Announced at SXSW Film Festival

A collaboration with actor and advocate Auli'i Cravalho and AMV Stream, the film, presented by the SHEBA® brand, highlights the inspiring stories of the "reef builders" fighting to help save coral reefs worldwide

LONDON, March 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, AMV Stream announced the release of "Reef Builders," a new documentary directed and produced by Stephen Shearman, executive produced by Victoria Noble and Ben Padfield, with actor and environmental advocate Auli'i Cravalho acting as associate producer. A watch party for the film took place on Sunday at an event at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas, USA.  

"Reef Builders" spotlights the inspiring stories of the people behind the Sheba Hope Grows™ program - part of one of the world's largest coral reef restoration programs led by Mars Sustainable Solutions (MSS) - and the vital role of ocean communities in the move to help restore our planet's coral reefs.

The AMV Stream documentary, developed in partnership with sister company AMV BBDO, is a result of the SHEBA® brand's - part of the Mars family of brands - longtime commitment to supporting the restoration of coral reefs around the globe. The documentary is a story of how Hope has grown globally and was made to highlight the contributions of the more than 200 reef builders who are working to restore this vital marine ecosystem (according to MARRS training data tracked by MSS, MSS Impact Report, 2024). By watching "Reef Builders," viewers are showing support for a global community determined to explore the solutions we need to restore coral reefs.

"I've witnessed decades of coral reef devastation due to rapidly warming oceans, over-fishing and over-tourism. Restoring the world's coral reefs isn't something that can be undertaken alone – it requires the ocean community, businesses and consumers from all corners of the earth to unite around the reef builders and scale their efforts," said Professor David Smith, Senior Director, MSS and Chief Marine Scientist, Mars Incorporated. "While we've seen promising success since the inception of the program, we still have a long way to go on this journey. Gaining the support of all who view this documentary will help us further the program immeasurably."

Told through powerful on land and underwater photography captured by Director of Photography Ossian Bacon, Mark Sharman, Tom Park and Kyle McBurnie, "Reef Builders" takes viewers on a journey to Bontosua, Indonesia, Lamu, Kenya, Moore Reef, Australia, and Auli'i's native O'ahu, Hawai'i to give viewers an unprecedented look into the fight to help save coral reefs worldwide.

"As a proud Native Hawaiian I care deeply about our oceans as coral is a foundational species, both culturally and scientifically. In the Hawaiian kumulipo (creation chant) the coral polyp was the first organism created by Sky-Father and Earth-Mother, so we see coral as our original ancestor and respect them as elders," said Auli'i Cravalho, associate producer, actor and environmental advocate. "Working with the SHEBA® brand on this restoration program and being part of this documentary has allowed me to partner with the scientists, local fisherman and divers of Hawai'i to give back to my community and help implement a groundbreaking, man-made solution to a man-made problem." 

Today, the world's coral reefs, often called the 'rainforests of the sea,' are in critical danger. Scientists estimate 90% of the world's tropical reefs will be gone by 2043 if the world does nothing (ICRI), potentially threatening 25% of all the world's marine life (EPA) and impacting the nearly one billion people worldwide that benefit either directly or indirectly from the ecosystem services coral reefs provide (NOAA).

The film begins with the program's most widely recognizable success story to date, the restoration of HOPE Reef in Indonesia. HOPE Reef was built using a simple but revolutionary invention – a steel structure referred to as the Reef Star – that turned a decimated coral-rubble field into a flourishing coral reef. It's told through the lens of one local Bontosuan fisherman, Samaila, who has lived through coral reef loss and coral reef regeneration.

More broadly, across four coral reef locations, viewers will see how the MSS team, led by Professor David Smith, are partnering with coastal communities and NGOs to scale the operation globally for even greater impact. The film depicts trials, tribulations, success stories, and the Hope guiding the program forward. Through the first-hand accounts of local volunteers fighting to save their coral reefs, see the program's growth into one of the biggest and most ambitious restoration training programs ever established (MSS Impact Report, 2024).

"When I first read about Professor David Smith and his team's work in Indonesia with HOPE Reef, I was in awe. But nothing could've prepared me for the experience of being on the ground and seeing firsthand how these ocean communities are rallying together to power real change below and above our oceans' surface," said director Stephen Shearman. "That's why 'Reef Builders' is really a film about humans. Through the telling of the moving, and at times harrowing stories of these reef builders, it's my intention that the audience also builds a human connection with our coral reefs."

Growing Hope Globally

So far, the MSS team has worked alongside its partners to install more than 87,000 Reef Stars with approximately 1.3 million corals attached (Reef Star and coral numbers monitored by MSS team and MSS partner network, MSS Impact Report, 2024, p23).

"As a brand, we have a wide-reaching global platform, and we recognize it's our responsibility to use that platform to help fuel positive change," said Mindy Barry, Global Vice President of Marketing, SHEBA® brand. "The release of 'Reef Builders' is a powerful new chapter in our larger mission behind the Sheba Hope Grows™ program. Through the documentary, we want to inspire and educate people on coral's plight and its importance to our everyday lives."

"Reef Builders" will be available to stream globally this spring. To learn more about the documentary and the Sheba Hope Grows™ program visit ShebaHopeGrows.com and follow the SHEBA brand on Instagram or learn more on the Sheba Hope Grows on Instagram channel.

About AMV BBDO

AMV BBDO is a creative company that crafts big ideas that real people love. Big ideas that move people, businesses, communities, and cultures and stretch across borders, audiences, platforms, and channels. Big ideas that talk to real people across our nation, supercharging growth, fame and effectiveness. AMV's big ideas stand the test of time, including Guinness' Made of More, Bodyform and Libresse's Live Fearless, Currys' Beyond Techspectations, and Maltesers' Look On The Light Side. As part of BBDO – the Cannes Network of the Decade – AMV holds the longest consecutive run of Golds in the history of the IPA Effectiveness Awards. With a global creative community of over 8,000 people in 70+ countries, BBDO do big things for brands with big ambitions.

About AMV Stream

Formerly Red Studios, AMV Stream is the branded entertainment division of AMV Group, dedicated to developing high-quality, culturally relevant branded programming for both linear and streaming broadcast. Specialising in long-form unscripted formats, the development studio produces award-winning feature documentaries and factual programming that both draw broad audiences and deliver measurable brand impact. With projects spanning a range of partners including Netflix, Apple TV+, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, StudioCanal, Amazon, Warner Bros Discovery Alzheimer's Society, Mars and 7-Eleven, AMV Stream delivers a unique way to access the world of big, branded entertainment simply.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars, Incorporated is driven by the belief that the world we want tomorrow starts with how we do business today. As a $50bn+ family-owned business, our diverse and expanding portfolio of leading pet care products and veterinary services support pets all around the world and our quality snacking and food products delight millions of people every day. We produce some of the world's best-loved brands including ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, CESAR®, DOVE®, EXTRA®, M&M's®, SNICKERS® and BEN'S ORIGINAL™. Our international networks of pet hospitals, including BANFIELD™, BLUEPEARL™, VCA™ and ANICURA™ span preventive, general, specialty, and emergency veterinary care, and our global veterinary diagnostics business ANTECH® offers breakthrough capabilities in pet diagnostics. The Mars Five Principles—Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom—inspire our 150,000 Associates to act every day to help create a better world for people, pets and the planet.  

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

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SOURCE SHEBA; Mars; AMV Stream