ob Stewart's award-winning Sharkwater is on a roll. The film, about man's relationship with sharks, has won seven awards at four film festivals since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the response the film is getting," said director Stewart. "The film is truly touching people's lives."   In fact, the life and death situations featured in the film including pirate boat rammings, attempted murder charges, arrests, espionage, corruption and hospitalization, as well as uncovering the billion-dollar shark fishing industry, were the last things Stewart expected on his remarkable journey.   "When I set out to make Sharkwater, I wanted people to see what I saw, an incredible undersea world that is so foreign to most of the planet. I had no idea that it would become a human drama that would take over four years, span 15 countries and nearly end my life."   Watch for Sharkwater in theaters in spring 2007.

In November, Sharkwater scooped three prestigious awards at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (FLIFF) including Best Documentary and the Audience Favorite Award from more than 200 international films. Sharkwater also won a Spirit of Independents Award which is given to the film that "exemplifies the determination, courage and fortitude of the independent filmmaker." Stewart is pictured with Gregory Von Hausch, President and CEO of FLIFF.

A young fan gets a good look at "Milton," a 17-foot-long, 200 pound, fiberglass great white shark used to promote the film. Due to overfishing, the biggest great whites that people see are Milton's size (great whites 18 to 20 feet long were once common).	Stewart with Kent Bonde, an avid diver who was bitten by a bull shark during a spearfishing trip (the shark was after his speared catch) "The ocean has natural laws and I broke them," said Bonde. Since then, he has become a vocal advocate for the protection of sharks.

Stars speak out for sharks   Action star Jackie Chan and NBA superstar Yao Ming have both spoken out against the slaughter of sharks for their fins which are used in shark fin soup, a delicacy in China. The practice has reduced shark populations by 90 per cent.   "I pledge to stop eating shark fin soup and will not do so under any circumstances," the Houston Rockets basketball star said. "Putting our ecosystem in great peril is certainly not a part of Chinese culture that I know. How do you maintain this so-called tradition when one day there is no shark left to finned?"