Power of Pearl Documentary Chronicles Typhoon Haiyan Aftermath

Press Release December, 2013

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After news broke about typhoon Haiyan, the film crew of Power of Pearl knew it was imperative that they travel to the Philippines to support the communities they had befriended through the past three years of production.

In 2010, Power of Pearl was launched to document both the little known pearl farming communities across the globe and also their culture of sustainability that all industrials should take note of. Some of the team's most cherished subjects, and their livelihoods, were based in Palawan, the Philippines, where the heavy hit Coron is located. Footage coming in from the disaster zones painted a bleak picture, and the filmmakers didn't know what to expect as they frantically arranged for travel to the Philippines.

The affected pearl farms were institutions that the owners, workers, and surrounding communities had depended on for generations. The culture and people of the area are known to be exceptionally resilient, but there was no way to know just how they would react to such calamity. When the film crew arrived on the pearl farm, they were greeted not by a community that had lost hope, but instead by a community filled with a reinvigorated passion and with strength and ambition.

Many of the workers shared their personal experiences with the film crew. Power of Pearl Director Ahbra Perry was moved by the spirit of the Filipino people. "Many of these farmers have lost everything, yet their resilience to rebuild, and more importantly, work as a community in this difficult time is nothing more than pure inspiration. The world news only informs us of the tragedy, but we set our focus on the wonderfully strong spirit of the Filipino people."

Power of Pearl is working hard in post-production to bring their emotional and impactful documentary to the world by January of 2015. They believe the film will deeply benefit the overall view we all have of our planet and provide a better understanding of we all can contribute to a healthier, more sustainable world in the future.

The filmmakers are fundraising for the film and to help rebuild homes in Palawan. More information, support, and donations can be made at www.powerofpearlmovie.com

Co-Directors Taylor Higgins and Ahbra Perry began with an educational series for the Cultured Pearl Association of America nearly four years ago and fell in love with the story of the pearl. The team has been working on their feature length film, Power of Pearl, for the past three years delving deep into the world of pearl farming, taking them on a journey to the most remote reaches of the earth spanning the South Pacific, East Asia, Indonesia and Australia.

The film documents pearl farms that sit on the front lines of global climate change and are the first to feel the effects of rising temperatures and acidic pH levels in the oceans.

Taylor and Ahbra were taken with the pearl farmers, who from principals down to the kitchen workers, are intimately bonded with one another and the surrounding communities. This bond has garnered love for each other and everything around them, which intrinsically makes them steadfast stewards of the sea. The two have wholeheartedly committed to sharing these stories with the world and aim to raise social awareness on the positive impacts of pearl farming and what it represents as a whole.