Christian Petron, France
COMMERCIAL DIVING EXPERIENCE
1976-Present President and CEO of Cinemarine Sarl, an underwater film production company
http://www.cinemarine.net
1975- 1976 Supervisor Diving Operations for COMEX
1965-1975 French Navy Submarine Engineer and Clearance Diver
CINEMARINE TELEVISION PROJECTS:
2008-2012 German TV ZDF and ARTE, France and Germany
Producer, Director, Chief Photographer for the following underwater documentaires for the TV Series Ocean Quest :
Memory of Port Cros Island
Marseilles, The Artificial Reef
Le Temps des Réserves (Moment for Underwater Parks)
24 Hours Live on the Reef
Great White Sharks of Guadalupe
Polynesian Sharks
Secrets of the Chesterfield Islands
Whales of Rututu
The Dangerous Passage of Fakarava
2006- 2008 National French Public Television, France 3
Producer, Director, Chief Photographer for 18 documentaries for French TV, created for Thalassa news program about the sea
2006 German TV ZDF and ARTE, France and Germany
Producer, Director, Chief Photographer, Shark Patrol
2001-2005 Discovery Channel
Canal +
Technical Supervisor for the following underwater documentaries directed by archaeologist Frank Goddio, HILTI Foundation : `
San Diego Treasure
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
Napoleon Shipwrecks of the Nil’s Battle
The Palace of Cleopatra
Royal Captain Treasure
Heraklion
2000 James Cameron. Lightstorm Inc., Santa Monica California
Consultant for Ocean Challenge project
1999-2001 Jean-Michel Cousteau, Ocean Future Society Inc.
Chief Photographer
Series of underwater documentaries for PBS-TV, Public Broadcasting, USA
Shark at Risk
My Father the Commander
Journey to the Kure Atoll
1998 NBC News, New York
Live 2-hour coverage from the Titanic wreck
Director of Photography
1998 Discovery Channel
Canal +
RMS Titanic Inc.
Expedition on the site of the Titanic wreck
Anatomy of a Disaster
Director of Photography
1997 French National Scientific Center for Research and Museum of Monaco
Documentary research in cave to examine new species of life existing in the dark
The Carnivorous Sponge
Director and Chief Photographer
1996 Discovery Channel
RMS Titanic Inc.
Expedition on the Wreck of the Titanic, August 1996
Titanic : The Investigation Begins
Titanic in a New Light
Director of Photography
1990-1996 Discovery Channel
Director,Producer and Chief Photographer for the following fifty-five minute documentary films :
Rangiroa the Ray Manta Lagoon
Rhine Underwater Exploration
Scapa Flow Memories
Whales Dance
The Unknown Sharks of Malpelo
1988-1990 Gaumont Productions, Directed by Luc Besson
Director of Photography for two major motion picture films :
The Big Blue
Atlantis
1978-1988 10 years in French Television Network TF1
Producer, Director, Chief Photographer 28 documentaries and news filmed around the world on underwater wildlife for TF1’s Natural History Unit, Series Les Animaux du Monde
AWARDS
2011 Public Prize, World Underwater Film Festival, Marseilles, for the documentary
Mémoire de Port Cros
2010 Gold Palm Award, World Underwater Film Festival, Marseilles, for the documentary Great White Sharks of Guadalupe
2007 Gold Palm Award International Underwater Art Festival, Kiew Ukraine for the documentary film, Shark Patrol
2007 Award from Albert I de Monaco Foundation, Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, for the documentary film, Shark Patrol
2007 Silver Palm Award, World Underwater Film Festival of Antibes, for the documentary film, Shark Patrol
1999 Gold Palm Award Festival Scientific film of NANEY Belgium for the documentary
Carnivorous Sponge
1992 Special Jury Prize SAN SEBASTIAN Festival in Spain for the documentary series Les Animaux du Monde, Los Roques
1991 Gold Palm Award World Underwater Film Festival of Antibes for the Motion picture film
Atlantis
1987 Gold Palm Award, World Underwater Film Festival of Antibes, for the documentary series Les Animaux du Monde, Los Roques
1987 Gold Palm Awarded, by S.A.S. Prince ALBERT II of Monaco, Festival Museum of Monaco for the documentary series Les Animaux du Monde, Los Roques
1987 Great Prize ROLEX Award Festival Maritime of Toulon for the documentary series Les Animaux du Monde Treasure of Pearl Islands
1982 Gold Palm Award, United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio,
Brazil, for the documentary, Pollution and Disturbance in the Mediterranean Sea
1982 Bronze Anchor Award Festival Maritime of Toulon for the documentary series Les Animaux du Monde Tamed Sea
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL HONORS
2013 France : Knight of “Order of Maritime Merit”.
1997 Italy : Awarded International Blue Elba Trophy for Lifetime Achievement in Underwater Photography, Elba Island,
1988 France : Member, La Société des Gens de Lettres
1987 Italy :Gold Trident Award for Lifetime Achievement International Academy of Underwater Sciences and Technology (http://www.accasub.it/albo_doro.html)
CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PRESERVATION OF THE SEA
2000 President, 2000 Regards Sous la Mer, 2000 Glances Under the Sea, a not for profit
organization created to educate the public about the preservation of the sea. http://2000regards.org
documentaries for the TV Series Ocean Quest
