VALERIE TAYLOR : PLAYING WITH SHARKS : TWO DOUBLE PASSES

Valerie with ‘Bruce’ the mechanical Great White during the filming of JAWS.

Valerie Taylor is a living legend and icon in the underwater world. A glamorous shark hunter in the1950s, she was a champion slayer with ruthless aim before a personal epiphany transformed her into a passionate marine conservationist – notably for the ocean’s scariest creature, the shark.

Long before anyone else, Valerie dared to get close. This is her incredible true story, swimming against the tide of human misconception of sharks and putting herself on the front line for sharks for over 70years. Featuring a stranger than fiction script, the making of Jaws, a magnetic heroine, and that most charismatic and terrifying of screen creatures, sharks; this powerful and visually sumptuous 90-minute feature documentary draws on incredible re-mastered film footage captured over 50 years.

Valerie’s astonishing bravery underwater will change the way we perceive sharks once and for all. Through her life’s arc, we go on a journey of new understandings, from fearing to respect and awe of these complex, often misunderstood creatures. Valerie Taylor is a marine maverick, a fearless diver, and pioneering conservationist who used herself as shark bait, and dared to befriend even the legendary great white sharks. This formidable woman forged her own adventure story in a male dominated world, and succeeded. Valerie’s passion to change the human perceptions of sharks transformed scientific knowledge and our understandings of these magnificent apex predators forever. This is her story.

There will be two screenings of the documentary with a Q and A featuring Valerie Taylor, director Sally Aitken and producer Bettina Dalton. One screening will be at the Hayden Cremorne and one at Randwick Ritz. These are the details:-

Sydney Arts Guide has two double passes to give away to the screening at the Randwick Ritz on Sunday June 6 at 2pm. Email editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com with Valerie Taylor Promotion in the subject heading and your postal address and mobile number in the body of your email. The winners will be advised by email.