In late 2020, Renaissance College student Ema Poposka, then 12 years old, took on the ambitious challenge of creating an underwater documentary to raise awareness for Hong Kong corals. Her 15-minute film, The Living Sea, is a youth finalist at this year’s ifva Awards, and has since won awards at numerous film festivals worldwide.

Ema’s project combining her passion for filmmaking and corals was initiated from and supported by Kids4Kids’ Action for a Cause program, with mentorship provided from Babel Film Workshop founder Jeremy Hung.

We recently sat down with Ema to chat about her journey to creating this impactful film.

Why did you make a film about corals?

I wanted to teach audiences around the world about Hong Kong corals and corals in general, and to motivate them to help save them and raise awareness about them to their friends and family.

In year six, I made a short video about corals, talking about what they are and how to protect them. I realized that video can create empathy for corals, and make a connection between humans and the ocean. It can motivate audiences to learn more about them, so this led me to create a longer documentary film for a wider audience.

How did you go about making this film?

We had a crew of students from 12 to 16 years old (some recruited through Babel Film Workshop’s crewing page). I also found teammates from the Making Waves Club, a club I created to help young filmmakers create movies that show their passions. They helped me with the promotion and editing of the film.

For the film, we had to film underwater footage and interviews with experts from different sectors, NGOs, and professionals who know a lot about corals and can share their experiences.

What was the most fun part about making the film?

One of the most fun experiences was scuba diving, and actually doing the underwater footage, because I learned how to actually film something underwater with a camera. This allowed me to get close to the corals, and learn how they live to show how important they are to protect.

What would you say to other young students who want to make a film about a topic they care about?

No matter how old or young you are, you can be a changemaker and create change in the world. If you’re really passionate about a topic or issue, you can influence people to help with it. And just have fun with what you’re making, because it’s a fun process and can be a great experience.

If you want to learn more about Ema’s film The Living Sea and her new project, the Ocean Youth Eco International Film Festival, you can visit the film’s Instagram page.