When we first won the Pathfinder Prize, I never imagined we would make The Rebel Reef: Seeds of Hope.

I expected we’d make a short film that was beautiful and meaningful, something we certainly could be proud of and share with the people who had helped us tell the story. Maybe it would find a nice little home online and live on YouTube, where people who were interested in Tela could stumble across it.

Instead, this story has traveled much farther than any of us anticipated. The film has screened at festivals around the world, won awards, connected us with new collaborators and partners, and brought the story of Tela’s reef to people who had never heard of it.

To have something so real and visceral (at least as visceral as a digital thing can be) move us around the world and amplify the message behind the work we do on the physical Rebel Reef has been beyond my wildest dreams.

And yet, despite all of that amazingness, there has always been one audience I cared about in a different way: the people in Honduras. Our friends in Tela. 

So I knew that bringing our film “back home” to Honduras – for its Latin American premiere in Tela and two back-to-back screenings in nearby Utila – would eclipse all of the very incredible things that have come out of this endeavor already. And, boy, was I right.

A Homecoming

Our Tela screening rightfully took place at SushiWa, Christian Carias’ restaurant in the new town center. It felt like the only possible place to premiere a film that is, in so many ways, his story.

The space is hip and beautiful. For the screening, we turned the back patio into an outdoor theater, complete with a giant LED screen and floor-to-ceiling speakers. (Hondurans take their audio very seriously, which made for a pretty spectacular movie night.)

Christian, with his mile-a-minute smile, hosted the evening and couldn’t hold back tears as the chairs in his restaurant brimmed over with his family, with friends, with people who had worked on the film (including George, our drone pilot), and with curious Teleños.

Afterwards, Christian and his whole family – including his usually-quiet mom – spoke about this hardest moment in their family’s story and what it means to share that with everyone, in a film, to speak to the resilience of humans and nature, together. Christian’s adorable son, Matias, and his wife, Greys, accompanied him to formally accept our Pathfinder Prize’s compass, which will stay with him in Honduras!

Ripples and Pride

During the short speeches after the film, someone from the Ministry of Education, who happened to be in the audience, came up and spoke about the impact the film had on her. She later told Christian and I that she thought the film should be shown in classrooms throughout Honduras because it gave the youth a different way of seeing their own country and its natural resources.

That was a remarkable thing to hear, especially because it gets so close to the vision that Antal Borcsok, our partner at Tela Marine, has had for years: for Hondurans to know their reef, understand its significance, and feel proud of what exists right in their own backyard. It is a vision we have come to care deeply about, and one we have tried to support through our work in science, storytelling, and local stewardship. We were overjoyed for him to share updates about Tela Marine and our new biobank — getting closer to completion — with the people of the town.

That conversation led to a call with the Ministry of Tourism a few days later, which is interested in showcasing the film at future conferences and expos where Honduras is represented. For me, for Antal, and for the whole Tela Coral team, that felt incredibly poignant. We have spent years trying to help the world see Tela differently; having Honduran government institutions recognize the story in the same way felt like a very important part of that journey.

The Honor of Storytelling

At the end of the screening evening, Christian pulled me aside. He told me that, of everyone who had come, he was especially happy that I was there. He knew how much work and love—and, honestly, how much challenge—had gone into making the film and carrying it around the world before bringing it back to Tela. Tears and emotions flowed from both of us. It was very validating to me to be witnessed for the impact my work has created. 

You see, one of the things I love most about storytelling is getting to see people in ways they sometimes cannot see themselves yet, and then helping reflect that version of them into the light. I’ve always felt very grateful to him for trusting me and our team with the hardest moments of his life, something he’s never shared before now. And to know how deeply he resonates with what we’ve created makes me prouder than I can explain. 

One Year Later

These champions of the reef are who we made this movie for. They are our why. And to come back just over one year after filming, with an award-winning story and the newfound respect and pride of the world buoying us, to share it with them has been a gift. After everything the film has become, getting to share it with the people at its heart was the part I will remember most.