Watson is a 2019 documentary film directed by Lesley Chilcott, which chronicles the life and activism of Canadian-American environmentalist Paul Watson, the youngest founding member of Greenpeace, and in 1977, the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 and was later released theatrically before airing on Animal Planet/Warner Bros. Discovery in December 2019 and into 2020.
Synopsis Filmed over two years across Costa Rica, Kingdom of Tonga, and the United States, the documentary chronicles Watson’s decades-long campaign to defend ocean and marine wildlife, and the personal costs of a life devoted to activism. Through action sequences, interviews, archival clips of Sea Shepherd’s encounters, and what Animal Planet described as “spectacular underwater nature footage,” Chilcott portrays his evolution from environmentalist to a polarizing figure confronting whalers and seal hunters. The film was produced by Participant Media and Terra Mater Factual Studios.
Release and Distribution Watson premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 and was later released theatrically before airing on Animal Planet on December 22, 2019.
Reception
Critics praised the film’s compelling storytelling and message: The Los Angeles Times called it “a riveting documentary … required viewing for all.” The New York Times noted the film may be “deferential toward Watson, but it is never less than urgent.” The Hollywood Reporter praised the film’s juxtaposition of “gorgeous hi-res photography” and grainy visuals capturing encounters with marine destruction. Forbes wrote that the film “sheds light on more than just the plight of marine life, but also on the convictions driving Watson’s campaigns.”
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Result Ref 2022 Friday Harbor Film Festival Explorers & Adventures Audience Choice Award 2020 Cinema for Peace Awards International Green Film Award https://www.cinemaforpeace-foundation.org/honorees 2020 International Wildlife Film Festival Best Feature Film 2019 EarthxFilm Festival Audience Award for Best Feature Film 2019 Camden International Film Festival Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature 2019 Hamptons International Film Festival Zelda Penzel Giving Voice to the Voiceless Award 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Best Documentary Feature 2019 Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary
See also Marine conservation activism Sierra Club Whale Wars List of environmental films
References
External links Captain Paul Watson Foundation official website