REEF BUILDERS

Mars Sheba’s ongoing mission to restore coral reefs has scored significant success in shallow waters, with the Cannes Lions-winning Hope Reef by AMV BBDO. For the sequel, AMV Stream dived into deeper, more testing seas, with a globetrotting, feature-length documentary made for Amazon Prime, starring the voice of Moana, Auli’i Cravalho. Stream the film on Amazon Prime.

A NEW HOPE

In 2020, Sheba, building upon a decade of research and in partnership with the Mars team, restored a 50-metre-long coral reef on the seafloor of Salisi' Besar, in Indonesia, spelling out the word H-O-P-E in fresh coral. Hope Reef proved that the ‘Reef Star’ technology could encourage coral regrowth in ideal conditions but with warming oceans and acidification threatening to destroy 90% of the world’s coral by 2050, the next stage would be to prove that the technique could work in oceans across the world – from the Great Barrier Reef to Kenya to Hawai’i.

AN ENSEBLE CAST

To tell this global story, Stream turned to the award-winning natural history filmmaker Stephen Shearman and brought together an ensemble cast comprising scientists, experts and local coastal communities. Activist and actor Auli’i Cravalho, best known as the voice of Moana, also came on board in her first documentary feature as both star and Associate Producer. Reef Builders would go on to shoot for five months in four international locations.

A FRESH ECOSYSTEM

Following an exclusive first look at SXSW in partnership with Variety, Reef Builders received a global premiere at London’s Natural History Museum on April 9, 2025. The 76-minute hero documentary was then distributed by Prime in markets that included the US, UK and Australia. The epic footage also fuelled short-form assets across social, digital and outdoor, and by working with Prime as our distribution partner, Reef Builders created unique entry points for Mars Sheba into the Amazon ecosystem, connecting viewing data to retail marketing opportunities and bringing purpose back to the product.