'First half of 'Jaws': Cape Cod movie looks at how communities react to shark attacks

Whether you are a shark enthusiast or a concerned resident who wouldn’t mind never seeing a great white shark in Cape Cod waters again, “Great White Summer” likely has something to say to you.

The 79-minute documentary directed by Eastham summer resident Nick Budabin, with director of photography Matt Elkind, will be screened for one night at 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 19, at Cape Cinema , 35 Hope Lane in Dennis . Tickets are $20 and may be ordered at ticketing.useast.veezi.com .

“It will play great on the big screen. We think this is the most honest portrayal of the shark issue that has come out on the Cape,” Budabin said.

Principals from the movie will be available after the screening for a conversation moderated by Doug Fraser, a Cape Cod surfer and former Cape Cod Times reporter who wrote about the ocean and sharks for many years.

“It will be a good opportunity for people to explore the issue,” Budabin said. “There’s still some tension there … The science community feels it’s doing quite a bit (of real-time shark monitoring), and some people think it’s still not enough.”

In “Great White Summer,” parents talk about the agony of living in such a beautiful area but being afraid to let their children surf, especially after Arthur Medici, 26, was killed off Wellfleet’s Newcomb Hollow Beach in September 2018.

The documentary interviews state shark scientist Greg Skomal, PhD, and looks at the formation of the online group The Cape Cod Ocean Community. Organizer Heather Doyle, who started a GoFundMe page to buy real-time shark sensors, is in the movie and will be one of the people at the Cape Cinema talk-back session after the film shows.

Is ‘Great White Summer’ a real-life ‘Jaws’?

“Jaws creates a scenario with a shark hunting people. Scientists don't think that’s what is happening and I don't think that either,” Budabin said.

He continued, saying, “A better comparison would be the first half of ‘Jaws’: townspeople are reeling. How do we react, do we close the beaches? How does a town adapt after a shark attack?”

Why did Budabin and Elkind decide to produce the shark documentary?

Budabin, who works as a showrunner in New York City-based reality TV, said he knew the topic would make a good documentary when people reacted with so much emotion to his initial questions. Budabin said he and Elkind shot the film for less than $100,000, then got post-production help from Northern Lights.

Other people working on the documentary include executive producers David Gioiella and Mark Littman, editor Tyler Christie and composer Mike Cassedy.

Some of the people Cape Codders may recognize in the documentary are Jerry Evans, AJ Salerno, Sherry Salerno, Dante Salerno, Heather Doyle, Drew Taylor, Greg Skomal, Megan Winton, Shred Hathorne, Ian Cairns, Nick Muto and Chris Fischer.

How can you watch ‘Great White Summer’ if you can’t make the Cape Cinema screening?

Distribution is being handled by Gravitas Ventures. The movie is up for presale at iTunes for $12.95, Budabin said, and will be available to watch Sept. 3. On that date, several streaming platforms will carry the film, including iTunes, Prime Video, Fandango at home, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft and Vimeo.

To watch the film’s trailer, visit YouTube .

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: 'First half of 'Jaws': Cape Cod movie looks at how communities react to shark attacks