Documentary backdrop image for Holding Back the Tide (2024)

Documentary backdrop image for Holding Back the Tide (2024)

202481 minGdocumentary

Holding Back the Tide

202481 minGdocumentary

New York's harbor, once abundant with oysters, is the target of restoration efforts aimed at reviving their ecological and cultural importance.

Genres

Director

Synopsis

New York's harbor, once abundant with oysters, is the target of restoration efforts aimed at reviving their ecological and cultural importance.

People

Emily Packerdirector

Synopsis

New York's harbor once teemed with oysters, a vital part of the city's ecosystem. "Holding Back the Tide" follows the oyster's life cycles, featuring queer characters who connect with its history and biology. As environmentalists work to restore oyster populations, the film presents the bivalve as a symbol intertwined with nature. The documentary runs for 81 minutes and was released in 2024.

Awards & Festivals

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

The Reality Behind Oyster Farmers (2022)

The Reality Behind Oyster Farmers

Oysters first appeared on Earth 200 million years ago and have been harvested for food since the Neolithic Age.

The Reality Behind Oyster Farmers

What are Oysters and Where Do They Come From? The Mysteries of the Oyster (2021)

What are Oysters and Where Do They Come From? The Mysteries of the Oyster

Oysters first appeared on Earth 200 million years ago, and humans have gathered them as a food source since the Neolithic Age.

What are Oysters and Where Do They Come From? The Mysteries of the Oyster

Murray Fisher Interview: Saving Ecosystems with Education & Oysters (2025)

Murray Fisher Interview: Saving Ecosystems with Education & Oysters

Murray Fisher discusses his conservation efforts in New York waterways, highlighting the Billion Oyster Project and the importance of youth engagement in ecological restoration.

Murray Fisher Interview: Saving Ecosystems with Education & Oysters

Where the Bay Becomes the Sea (2015)

Where the Bay Becomes the Sea

The Bay of Fundy’s fragile marine ecosystem is examined through its intricate food chain, highlighting the connections between plankton, seals, whales, and humans.

Where the Bay Becomes the Sea

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea (2024)

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) have proliferated in the Wadden Sea, displacing native blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and challenging local fishing industries.

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea

Old Saybrook, CT (2025)

Old Saybrook, CT

In Old Saybrook, Connecticut, Nick Kessler explores local efforts to revive oyster beds, prepares sea scallops, and searches for oystercatchers along the shore.

Old Saybrook, CT

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife (2025)

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife

Eight million people live in New York City, where thousands of species have adapted to urban life, often unnoticed amid the bustling metropolis.

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss (2023)

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss

The Pacific Ocean, which covers one third of the Earth's surface, features the Mariana Trench and showcases its diverse ecosystems and marine life.

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss

Exploring the North Atlantic (2024)

Exploring the North Atlantic

Thousands of herring are driven to the surface by killer whales, creating a feeding frenzy that attracts seabirds and other marine life.

Exploring the North Atlantic

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds (2023)

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds

Sperm whales, dolphins, sea otters, and sea birds illustrate the intricate relationships and resilience of marine life, while coral reefs and the Komodo dragon highlight vital ecosystems.

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds

Explore Holding Back the Tide

Trailer Awards FAQ Stream

Where else to watch

Take Back the Harbor (2018)

Take Back the Harbor

2018•40m•★8.0TMDB

Students from the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School participate in a program to restore oysters to New York Harbor, enhancing their academic skills.

Take Back the Harbor

Oceans (2010)

Oceans

2010•1h24m•★7.5TMDB

Marine ecosystems around the world are showcased, emphasizing the urgent need for environmental protection amid the threats posed by human activity.

Silence of the Tides (2020)

Silence of the Tides

2020•1h43m•★6.0TMDB

The Wadden Sea experiences tidal changes that affect the habitat of countless species across the coastal regions of the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark.

Silence of the Tides

Wind, Tide & Oar (2025)

Wind, Tide & Oar

2025•1h24m•★6.0TMDB

Through the rivers, coastlines, and open seas of the UK, Netherlands, and France, traditional sailing practices highlight themes of ecology and maritime heritage.

Wind, Tide & Oar

Behind the Tide (2014)

Behind the Tide

2014•1h6m•★7.0TMDB

On the beaches of Australia, Cornwall, and France, artists and entrepreneurs share their unique stories of independence within the surfing community.

Behind the Tide

Browse more like this

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea (2024)

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea

Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) have proliferated in the Wadden Sea, displacing native blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and challenging local fishing industries.

Pacific Oysters Invade the Wadden Sea

No digital watch option in your country

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife (2025)

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife

Eight million people live in New York City, where thousands of species have adapted to urban life, often unnoticed amid the bustling metropolis.

Archipelago New York: The City of Islands & Wildlife

No digital watch option in your country

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss (2023)

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss

The Pacific Ocean, which covers one third of the Earth's surface, features the Mariana Trench and showcases its diverse ecosystems and marine life.

Endless Ocean: Tales from the Pacific's Abyss

No digital watch option in your country

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds (2023)

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds

Sperm whales, dolphins, sea otters, and sea birds illustrate the intricate relationships and resilience of marine life, while coral reefs and the Komodo dragon highlight vital ecosystems.

Ocean Secrets Mystical and Breathtaking Underwater Worlds

No digital watch option in your country

Time and Tide (2000)

Time and Tide

2000•35m•★7.1TMDB

Changing tides impact coastal ecosystems and the communities that rely on them, illustrating the challenges posed by these natural phenomena.

Double Tide (2009)

Double Tide

2009•1h39m•★7.7TMDB

A rare double low tide occurs twice in one day, allowing clam digger Linda Greenlaw to work the mudflats of coastal Maine at dawn and dusk.

When Oceans Threaten Cities (2022)

When Oceans Threaten Cities

2022•52m•★8.0TMDB

Surge barriers worldwide are predicted to become ineffective within 50 years, threatening the survival of coastal megacities like New York and Singapore.

When Oceans Threaten Cities

Just Hold Still (1989)

Just Hold Still

1989•32m•★6.0TMDB

New York City's architecture influences the mental states of its residents in Jem Cohen's 1989 film set against the city's urban backdrop.

Just Hold Still

Against the Tide (2023)

Against the Tide

2023•1h37m•★5.0TMDB

Two fishermen from Mumbai's Koli community face mounting debt and environmental challenges as they navigate contrasting fishing practices.

Against the Tide

Browse more by Emily Packer

View all films →

By Way of Canarsie (2020)

By Way of Canarsie

2020

Too Long Here (2020)

Too Long Here

2020

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →