Storytelling was once a way of understanding the natural world — rivers as living forces, trees as thresholds, the movement of water and life woven together. Over time, that sense of connection has faded, replaced by a way of seeing land and sea as separate. But beneath the surface, those relationships remain.
No Trees. No Seas. follows surfer and environmentalist Sam Bleakley as he moves through his homeland; Cornwall. From soil and rivers to shoreline and swell; tracing the connections that bind it. As a surfer, and as a parent, he begins to question a growing separation between woods and water, and what that might mean for our future.
Surfing becomes a way of reading the environment an instinctive understanding of flow, energy and change. As these movements are followed, a deeper shift begins to emerge. The loss of temperate coastal forests has reshaped how water moves through the land — how it gathers, how it travels, and what it carries. Its influence through rivers, into the sea, and back again.
Within the flowscape, trees play a fundamental role — holding water in place, stabilising soil, filtering what moves downstream, and supporting life beyond the shore. Their presence shapes the balance of the whole system.
As science begins to recognise what older cultures once understood, the idea of separation starts to fall away. Land, sea and people are revealed as part of a single, moving system — one shaped by the connections within it.
Rooted in Cornwall but resonant far beyond it, No Trees. No Seas. is a people-led climate documentary revealing how restoring the connections between land, sea and community could change everything.
Rather than creating a traditional awareness film with a short campaign lifespan, the creative approach behind No Trees. No Seas. was to develop a feature-length documentary capable of living far beyond its initial release.
The intention was to create a cinematic film that could become a long-term engagement tool for Plant One — something that could travel through festivals, community screenings, brand partnerships and live events while continuing to raise awareness, build audiences and support fundraising efforts over time.
By grounding the film in culture, surfing, storytelling and lived experience, the project was designed to reach audiences beyond traditional environmental spaces. The feature-length format allows the story to unfold with greater emotional depth, helping viewers build a stronger connection to the landscapes, communities and ecological systems explored within the film.
This approach has already enabled the project to grow into a wider campaign, with screenings, conversations and restoration activity taking place alongside the documentary itself. Rather than existing as a standalone piece of content, No Trees. No Seas. was conceived as a platform for ongoing engagement — creating opportunities for participation, education and environmental action long after the credits roll.
No Trees. No Seas. was created not only as a film, but as a wider environmental and cultural movement — reconnecting people with the relationship between forests, rivers and ocean life.
The project is already gaining significant momentum beyond the screen. Alongside its festival run, the film has sparked growing public engagement through community screenings, environmental partnerships and live restoration events across Cornwall and beyond.
Outdoor clothing brand Finisterre are hosting a series of screenings and conversations around the film, helping bring its themes of climate resilience, restoration and connection to wider audiences. Community cinema organisation 99p Films are also delivering local screenings across Cornwall, encouraging place-based conversations around environmental change and collective action.
The film’s London premiere takes place at Regent Street Cinema on the 29th, expanding the conversation beyond Cornwall and introducing the project to new audiences within the environmental, cultural and documentary space.
Alongside screenings, No Trees. No Seas. has attracted growing media attention and support from environmental organisations, researchers, surfers, filmmakers and local communities. The project continues to build a wider audience through the live No Trees. No Seas. campaign in partnership with Plant One, connecting storytelling with practical restoration efforts including woodland creation, public engagement and environmental outreach.
At the centre of the project is a simple but urgent idea: restoring the relationship between land, sea and community. Through film, screenings and action on the ground, No Trees. No Seas. aims to leave a lasting impact not only through awareness, but through participation, reconnection and long-term environmental stewardship.
