Miguel Blanco Explores the Idea that ‘Film Is a Form of Activism’

Miguel Blanco has been traveling the world for waves for a long time. He practically grew up with it as a normal part of life. And he admits that he always felt seeing different parts of the planet was meant for some kind of greater good, he just couldn’t quite put his finger on what. Then the COVID-19 pandemic put the whole world on pause for a minute and this aspect of his life was stalled. He still had surfing, but as he explains it, there was something about the moment that made him realize he could take some kind of action.

It was several months later when Miguel finally did get back on the road for a family trip to the Maldives. The renewed perspective opened his eyes to one glaring issue on the trip: no matter how beautiful the islands were, the evidence of our footprint was everywhere.

“You see that the reality is a bit different from what people have been selling you,” he says. “It’s a beautiful place and I’d love to be able to go back and surf it with my kids one day. And for that to be possible, there has to be a change.”

That “take action” urge finally had an outlet. Miguel decided to start documenting not only the problems like pollution at destinations but how he might be able to dig in and learn about solutions at each stop. He organized beach cleanups with local schools, join local preservation groups and learn about their studies, and more. And as his friend, João de Macedo told him, “Film is activism,” so documenting it all turned a lifetime of traveling into an outlet for activism.

This story was originally published here