As told by Julia Barnes, a documentary filmmaker, volunteer with Water Docs, and friend of the late Rob Stewart. This speech was given as part of our Water Warrior Award presentation at our 11th annual Water Docs Film Festival in Toronto on Nov. 17, 2023. Rob’s parents, Brian and Sandy Stewart, accepted the award on Rob’s behalf.

Watch the video of the Water Warrior Award presentation on our YouTube channel.

Watch Brian and Sandy’s Global News interview about receiving our award on Rob’s behalf.

Julia interviews Rob for her 2016 documentary, *Sea of Life*.
Photo courtesy of Julia Barnes.

Rob dedicated his life to protecting nature. He was a brilliant filmmaker who understood the power of film to engage our emotions, and make people care about issues. Rob’s work inspired countless people to get involved in the movement to save life on the planet.

I was one of those people. Rob changed my life. I would not have had anything to do with conservation or filmmaking if it wasn’t for him. I watched REVOLUTION when I was in high school and I came out of the theatre shaking with energy and excitement and a desire to change the world.

Knowing Rob’s story – that he had picked up a camera with no experience in filmmaking, and gone out and made Sharkwater, very much figuring things out at he went along – that knowledge freed me from the notion that I needed to be an expert or have a degree or know exactly what I was doing before getting started. Rob proved that if you’re passionate about something and you take bold action, you can change the world.

Sharkwater ignited a global movement to save sharks. It showed that education matters. Once people knew what was happening, they were motivated to take action.

With his next film, REVOLUTION, Rob took on a much larger scope and looked at the fact that we’re losing the world’s coral reefs, rainforests, and fish – that everything we love and everything we depend on is in jeopardy – and that seemingly disparate environmental issues are really interconnected and need to be addressed as a whole.

Rob, filming for his 2018 documentary *Sharkwater: Extinction*.
Photo courtesy of Julia Barnes.

REVOLUTION had a huge impact on me. After watching it, I bought a camera, signed up for scuba diving lessons, and decided to start making a documentary about the ocean. Rob was my hero. I wanted to be doing exactly what he was doing.

It was in the process of making my documentary that I got to connect with Rob and interview him. He was the nicest person. Right away, he offered to help with my documentary. He connected me with people to interview and work with, and we started talking about story ideas and places I should go to film. Rob’s advice shaped my documentary Sea of Life, and knowing him and learning from him shaped who I became as a person and what I believe is possible.

Rob was relentlessly optimistic. When I felt particularly overwhelmed by what was happening in the world, all it would take was one conversation with Rob to go from lack and despair to opportunity and possibilities and how exciting and beautiful it’s going to be to bring life back to this planet. He knew we were going to win.

One of the things Rob told me is that we’re going to have more heroes in this generation than we have in any generation prior because we’ve got this enormous problem we’re facing that is calling out the best in us. He said, “Let the size of the challenge motivate you”.

Given that the challenge is so large, I want to encourage everyone to watch Rob’s films (all three are available for free in the virtual festival until Dec. 17, 2023). If you feel something when you watch them, I want you to think about what it would look like for you to be a hero for this planet. What’s the biggest thing you can think of that you can do?

In this time when environmental issues are worse than they have ever been, the world needs more people like Rob who take bold action with passion, courage, and imagination. The world is a better place because Rob was here, and his actions will continue to have ripple effects through everyone who is inspired by his work.