SHIREEN RAHIMI
Dr. Shireen Rahimi is an Iranian/American filmmaker, marine scientist, freediving cinematographer, National Geographic Explorer, and founder of Lightpalace Productions, a full-service production company based in Miami. She uses visual storytelling to point to the beauty inherent in our emotional connections with the natural world.
Dr. Rahimi has been featured as a contributor on National Geographic Sharkfest, and was named Nautica’s newest ocean conservation Wavemaker. Her work has been featured by PBS, National Geographic, Sierra Magazine, The New Tropic, and film festivals around the word. With every aspect of her practice, Dr. Rahimi is dedicated to telling stories that encourage action and healing around our current moment of ecological crisis.
Could You Briefly Explain The Driving Force/Motivation Behind Your Work?
My background is in marine ecology and anthropology, so I’m a scientist by training. While I was working on my PhD studying coral reefs in Cuba, and spearfishers in The Bahamas, I got a National Geographic grant to incorporate photography into my research. I bought an underwater case for my camera and I started taking images of the incredible ecosystems I was visiting, and the people enmeshed with them. My images and videos were seeing a lot of enthusiasm and engagement. Given that film is the most powerful medium we have to push social change, I decided I should probably make a career change, and dedicate my life to telling stories about the environment, and the scientists and conservationists that are working to protect it. I’m dedicated to telling stories that go against the grain of typical nature documentaries, incorporating strong character-driven narratives, and incorporating diverse art forms like poetry, music, and fashion, to draw unconventional audiences into the world of nature storytelling. Through every aspect of my practice, I’m dedicated to telling stories that encourage activism and healing for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
Where/How Has Your Work Engaged With Systems Or Transformative Change-Making?
Some of my work is quite abstract. Other projects are impact-oriented, and address very real environmental problems, attempting to suggest scientifically informed solutions through powerful visuals. One such project is my most recent National Geographic Storytelling grant in Mo’orea, French Polynesia.
For this project, I am assembling a series of photographs, videos, and text to create an interactive article illustrating the importance of protecting Mo’orea’s sacred and threatened freshwater-coral reef system. This visual storytelling project will be distributed to local communities and policymakers on the island to encourage infrastructural and policy solutions to the island’s pollution issues, ahead of the revision of Mo’orea’s Island Spatial Plan.
How Can The Transformations Community Support Your Work?
I’d love to connect with those working in the arts and sciences to find sources of support for storytelling projects that highlight groundbreaking and inspiring work around environmental conservation. The more we can visualize these stories, the closer we come to creating the thriving world we all want to live in.
