effects of coastal development.

To raise awareness of a small interesting article from the February edition of Surfer magazine. It relates to the controversy surrounding a film called "The Lost Jewel of the Atlantic" - produced by Save the Waves Coalition, Here's the article...

JARDIM DO MAR VIDEO ("THE LOST JEWEL") CONTROVERSY
ANGRY MADEIRA OFFICIALS THREATEN LAWSUITS AGAINST FILMMAKERS

Last May, the film "The Lost Jewel of the Atlantic" premiered in Madeira, despite threats from Madeira government officials to criminally prosecute the producers. Playing to a sold-out audience in Madeira, "The Lost Jewel" tells the story of how a world-class surf spot, Jardin do Mar, was degraded due to what it asserts was bad coastal planning, intimidation, and official corruption.

The film directed by Jacob Holcomb and produced by the Save the Waves Coalition, documents the unsuccessful fight of a coalition of surfers and Madeira locals to halt construction of a massive seawall fronting the powerful rights of Jardin do Mar. Construction bulldozed ahead, however, despite local protests and pleas from the International surf community to consider the long-term economic and cultural value of a premier surfbreak. Madeira President Jardim repeatedly refused to meet with the surfers and taunted them to "go surf somewhere else."

Afterward, an angry Madeira minister Manual Santos Costa called the film a "malicious lie" and vowed to sue those responsible.

In response, Save the Waves' excutive director Will Henry plans a worldwide tour of the movie as a cautionary tale of what happens when money, politics, and the ocean collide.

For more information please visit: www.savethewaves.org/jewel.asp