Planet Ocean: X Trillion (2024)

Film screening introduced by Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS, Dorector of the Marine Institute, University of Plymouth.

One thousand miles from land. The closest humans orbit above in the space station. A lone boat awakens to calm. Then, a fragment. Followed by a toothbrush, a washing basket, a garden chair. Surface samples bring up handfuls of tiny microplastics. Looking out over the ocean, a few pieces of plastic float visibly in sight. But a realisation dawns – we’re looking at a dense soup of tiny pieces. The crew record an average of half a million pieces of microplastics per square kilometre here, and that is only on the surface. Who knows how much is in the 5000 metres of water beneath.

X Trillion follows the gruelling journey of eXXpedition’s all-women crew led by Emily Penn as they sail 3,000 miles across the North Pacific Ocean through the densest accumulation of ocean plastic on the planet to make the unseen, seen.

The 14-strong international crew of scientists, sailors, designers, engineers, and teachers set sail on a transformative month-long voyage. They leave families and land behind, coming together battling high seas, storms and sea sickness, to carry out cutting edge microplastics research and investigate the crisis of plastic pollution in one of the most remote places on Earth. In a practical and emotional response to one of the biggest global challenges of our time, this is a story of hope, filled with life, magic and a call to action that burns with optimism.

Professor Richard Thompson OBE FRS is a world-leading marine scientist and is at the forefront of pioneering research into the causes and effects of marine litter. He founded and heads the University’s International Marine Litter Research Unit, which has charted the global distribution of microplastics from Arctic sea ice to the deep seas.

Screening in partnership with The Box’s exhibition, Planet Ocean. Plymouth is 'Britain's Ocean City' and we are all part of one connected ocean.

Image credit: Eleanor Church / X Trillion Film

Host or Publisher The Arts Institute