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Diving for Rays is Nova West and Angel Morris' first independent film together. The film was shot and edited in early 2022, utilizing grants from Sony and community contributions to help fund the project. Through the trials and errors of creating their first film, Diving for Rays has become a jumping off point for further learning, collaboration, and community engagement.
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Diving for Rays follows the story of Nicole Morris, who since she was young has aspired to become a marine conservationist. Growing up in San Diego, CA, she spent her childhood among the creatures of the sea, her favorite being rays. The ocean became her place of healing, especially when she first realized she was queer. The more she discovered who she was, however, the less she saw herself in conservation as a queer woman. Years later, she realized that she owed it to herself to become what she couldn't see. In this 20 minute documentary Nicole shares her story of taking her first steps in chasing her dreams by getting scuba certified. Along the way, we learn how the lack of LGBTQ+ visibility in marine science can have a devastating impact on aspiring conservationists.
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Angel Morris filming on an fx3, provided by Sony's grant program,
photo by Nova West
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Nova presenting Diving for Rays in the E/V Nautilus control van during 71 days at sea off the coast of Maui, photo by Marley Parker
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Diving for Rays has already achieved great success, soft-premiering for the Corps of Exploration with Dr. Robert Ballard and National Geographic Society leadership and scientists aboard the E/V Nautilus. The film was also accepted to the Thunder Bay International Film Festival and the San Diego Environmental Film Festival, where it won the People's Choice Award and scored second place in their category. Nova and Angel are excited to announce that Diving for Rays is officially available to stream on WaterBear Network and will be live on the network for the next five years.
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After finishing Diving for Rays and seeing the positive impact it's had on the queer community, Angel and Nova are continuing to produce films together and have plans for new documentaries starting in 2023. Their work, centering around queer voices in conservation and science spaces, is promising for the visibility and expansion of marginalized communities working in science.
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