Roscosmoe Lab: Umi No Oya, a feature documentary by Ewen Chardronnet and Maya Minder

What connects a weakened ecosystem to a global food culture? Umi No Oya – Mother of the Sea tells the story of a discovery that revolutionized Japanese nori aquaculture and led to global sushi culture. With sensitive landscape images and a keen sense of Japanese cultural history, the film sheds light on international scientific interdependencies and the resilience of people in a world shaped by climate change and upheaval. It combines artistic and personal biographies to reflect on the balance between progress and sustainable action. How can science, art and culture meet the challenges of the future?

Now revered as a Shinto deity, the film pays tribute to Drew-Baker as Umi No Oya (ウミノヲヤ) - the mother of the sea - and seeks inspiration in the resilience she instilled in post-war Kyushu to face the new challenges of climate change.