The ocean's plea

That's the title of the film in the letter that Pham Doan Minh Khue, a student in class 10C2 (Le Quy Don High School for the Gifted), sent to leading Hollywood director James Cameron in the 54th UPU International Letter Writing Competition. Carrying the message that the ocean is suffering from unhealable wounds, resources are dwindling, its breath is agonizing, and that a film is needed to awaken the world, Khue's letter excellently won first prize in the competition.

With her letter "A Plea from the Ocean," addressed to director James Cameron, winning first prize in the 54th UPU International Letter Writing Competition, Khue hopes that all of humanity will join hands to save the ocean and save humankind. Photo: Provided by the subject.

This year, the UPU International Letter Writing Competition, launched by the Universal Postal Union, has the theme "Imagine you are the ocean. Write a letter to someone explaining why and how they should take good care of and protect you." With this theme in mind, Duong thought of director James Cameron, the filmmaker behind Titanic (1997), The Abyss (1989), and Avatar (2009)... She said she chose the Pacific Ocean because it is the largest and deepest of the five ocean regions in the world. Throughout the letter, Khue likens herself to the ocean and refers to herself as "I" (or "we").

With a vivid, gentle, and intimate yet profound writing style, expressing his personal wounds to his child – director James Cameron – he pleads that his film idea be brought to life. Because the ocean believes that director James Cameron can convey this message to all of humanity. "Use your passion, talent, vision, and influence to create a film that awakens the world, saves us, saves humankind."

"We've been waiting for you every second, every minute," the letter read. Khue confided: "Every day, through reading books and accessing information through the media, I understand clearly what the ocean is enduring. Therefore, when I touched upon the topic of the ocean, I transformed the ocean's pain into my own pain and used my heart and mind to share the deepest hidden aspects of the ocean. I am happy that my heartfelt thoughts were highly appreciated by the organizers. For me, it is an honor and a source of pride. I am even happier that my letter will be translated into English and French and will represent Vietnam in the international competition."

For billions of years, the ocean has protected the Earth, nurtured life, and kept the planet in balance, but today, it is crying out for help. From this perspective, Khue likens the ocean's ailments to toxins flowing through its bloodstream, suffocating life, a worsening fever, bleached coral reefs, disrupted ocean currents, violent storms, and many wounds that cannot heal…

At the same time, recalling a time when it was strong and full of life, the whale sang a song of freedom, the coral reefs danced joyfully, and ocean currents flowed abundantly, sustaining the entire ecosystem. Now, the ocean needs a film that tells the truth, a story of its being killed and its impending death, and the end of humanity. The ocean wants this film to be called "The Ocean's Plea" and to urge humanity to act.

Khue said that, through the letter, she suggested the film's script should depict the wounds of the ocean, but no one listened. From the Mariana Trench, a mysterious signal echoed, a mournful sound like the ocean weeping. The signal was decoded, carrying a terrifying message: "I am dying. If you do not act, humanity will perish."

The world didn't believe it, but James Cameron, who had dived 30 times to explore the Titanic wreck, the Mariana Trench, and hydrothermal vents, sensed something ominous. The director decided to assemble a team of scientists to embark on an expedition to the heart of the ocean to find the true cause of the plea. This led to a haunting open ending with the image of the boy standing before a beach littered with trash.

“Through this film, I want to honor the ‘doctors of the ocean’ such as machines that suck up marine debris and oil spills and turn them into resources; coral reef regeneration projects, climate change mitigation projects with CO2 absorption technology, reforestation and ecosystem restoration; increasing CO2 absorption… And to emphasize the message that these projects are like a drop in the ocean without the collective efforts of all humanity,” Khue shared.

HUYNH VU

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5433/202504/loi-thinh-cau-cua-dai-duong-4005843/