On the island of Saipan, a young girl's mysterious dream about a haggan, or green sea turtle, leads her to investigate the sea turtles that live around her home. Join her adventure to find turtles, which leads to a wonderful birthday wish.

Interview with Writer/Director: Laura Sams and Robert Sams

Watch My Haggan Dream here:

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

We made My Haggan Dream so that the children of the Mariana Islands could celebrate and preserve their nesting sea turtles, whose populations have dropped dramatically. Haggan is the Chamorro word for sea turtle.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Do you like birthday cake and baby sea turtles? This film follows a young girl on an adventure to answer a mysterious question about sea turtles, and it begins with birthday cake floating in the ocean. You'll have to watch to find out why.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

At Sisbro Studios my brother Rob and I work hard to create stories that truly allow people to laugh, enjoy and engage with their world. We try to find positive ways to address environmental issues that otherwise could feel daunting. We collaborated with Stephani Gordon of Open Boat Films, and all of us strive to really capture incredible footage. Sometimes people think children's programming doesn't deserve the best attention to cinematography, but we disagree.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

Well, when you're working with wildlife, you never quite know what you're going to be able to film. We had the support of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands DLNR sea turtle researchers, who helped us find turtles to film. They told us there were only seven nesting sea turtles on the entire island of Saipan this year, so we honestly didn't know if we would be able to film a nesting sea turtle. Plus, while we were on the island, one of those turtles was poached. It was heartbreaking. But then we lucked out and had the opportunity to see at least two adult female nesting turtles emerging from the great ocean to crawl up onto the land and lay eggs. It seemed meant to be.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The film won Best Children's Series at the BLUE Ocean Film Festival, which was very exciting. We have received incredible feedback overall, especially from the Micronesia Island Nature Alliance, which is sharing the film on their islands.

My Haggan Dream - A turtle swims while fish clean its shell. Photo by Sisbro Studios

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

We have received so many comments on social media about how people were delightfully moved by the film, which means a lot.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

We want to share this story of a beautiful place, but also, we want to share how you can create a story that empowers people, rather than making them scared of potentially sad environmental issues.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

We want anyone who works with kids about environmental issues to really take a look at the film! It was funded by the NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Regional Office, and it is free for people to watch and share.

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

We would like the people of the Mariana Islands to understand how the nesting sea turtles populations are different than the other populations of turtles around the island. Ultimately, we hope the local people love their turtles so much that they protect the nesting turtles for future generations. We truly hope this film makes people of the Pacific Islands proud of their natural resources.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Historically, people of the Mariana Islands would eat turtles. One question would be: Do you think people should still be allowed to eat turtles, when the nesting sea turtle populations are so low?

Would you like to add anything else?

The young star of our film is named Kaya, and she is such an incredible girl. We hope she inspires other kids to be like her.

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

Sisbro Studios has just created a series of short videos called "Get Your Feet Wet," which are part of the new series called Splash and Bubbles from The Jim Henson Company, airing on PBS Kids. Get Your Feet Wet features funny music, stories, and incredible underwater wildlife footage that we hope will inspire the next generation of ocean explorers. Check your local PBS Kids station for clips!

Interview: January 2016

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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

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Waimea Ocean Film Festival

My Haggan Dream

On the island of Saipan, a young girl's mysterious dream about a haggan, or green sea turtle, leads her to investigate the sea turtles that live around her home. Join her adventure to find turtles, which leads to a wonderful birthday wish.

Length: 8 minutes

Director: Laura Sams and Robert Sams

Producer: Stephani Gordon, Laura Sams, Robert Sams

Writer: Laura Sams, Robert Sams

About the writer, director and producer:
Check out Sisbro Studios: www.sisbro.com
Check out Open Boat Films: www.openboatfilms.com
Key cast: Kaya Rain S. Rasa

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): We would love to screen in more film festivals!

Funders: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Made in association with: Sisbro Studios, Open Boat Films

Release date: October 2016

Where will it screen in the next month?
Watch the video on the facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/myhaggandream/