'Our whole life was on that ship,” says Tauranga resident Craig Fellows, after the MV Rena grounded on October 5, 2011. 'All of our memories - wedding photos and negatives, plus videos and photos of the children growing up, their first Christmas, first steps and things they had made - are all gone.

'They're things we can never get back.”

Craig and his family are off to watch ‘Taking Back our Beach', the film documenting the story of the local community response to the Rena disaster 12 years ago.

Brian and Claire Rogers, co-founders and owners of Sun Media, made headlines on SunLive with the news that the cargo vessel MV Rena had struck Ōtāiti - Astrolabe Reef approximately 12 nautical miles off the coast of Tauranga.

A member of the local Coastguard, Brian was the first journalist on the scene of what would become NZ's biggest environmental disaster. He broke the news to the world.

The film runs for 90 minutes. Hundreds have already booked tickets to see it.

'Mount Maunganui Intermediate have 700 students coming to it, booking out six cinemas next week,” says producer Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

She says other groups are taking advantage of United Cinemas Bayfair's group offer, with some using the film to raise funds for local charities.

'PIPS are running a fundraiser on Tuesday, October 10, and Volunteering BOP with Envirohub are running a fundraiser for Western Bay Wildlife and ARRC on Wednesday, October 11. The Tauranga Bird Club, and local kindys and schools are doing group bookings.”

Photo. Anton Steel and Rosalie Liddle Crawford at Mount Maunganui beach. Photo: John Borren.

Director Anton Steel and Rosalie have woven together this story from 33 diverse interviewees. There are many unfolding layers, moments of tears, as well as laughter, and the film offers closure to an event that affected more than 8000 volunteers and countless more in the wider community.

The stories of the clean-up couldn't be possible without the thousands of people from all walks of life who came together to save their beloved beaches, says Anton.

'It's this positive message of the power of the community uniting in the face of disaster that viewers are left with.”

Funded and supported by Sun Media, HOBEC, BOPRC, Priority One, Western Bay Wildlife, Bay Conservation Alliance, Vision Media, Film Bay of Plenty and hundreds of individuals and crowd-funders, the film captures the shock, anger and grief driven into the heart of the local community, as a groundswell of volunteers went out daily to help save wildlife and clean up the massive field of oil and debris strewn along the coast.

The BOP premiere on Thursday was an emotional experience for those who knew Bruce Fraser, Sue Behrens and Brian Rogers, who have all died while the film was being made. Brian died of bowel cancer last year, but was able to see the movie's final cut with his father Mick and wife Claire, who is the film's executive producer. His memories of the fateful morning are poignantly documented in his final interview, describing the moment he realised it was going to be a major environmental crisis.

The title of the film ‘Taking Back Our Beach' came from a bold statement that Sue made during the clean-up.

'It's our beach. We're taking ownership,” says Sue, her words now forever preserved.

Craig, who has settled into a very rewarding sale rep job for the past eight years with Würth NZ, says although there is still a sense of loss, the family have moved on. His mother, wife and son joined him to watch the film together at the premiere.

'I was a little bit nervous and excited to hear other people's stories and what they experienced.”

‘Taking Back our Beach' is now screening at cinemas across the Bay of Plenty, including United Cinemas Bayfair, Luxe Cinemas, Whakamax, Katch Katikati, Opotiki's De Luxe Theatre, Rotorua's Basement Cinema as well as more than 20 cinemas NZ-wide.

Photo. The Rena life ring, brought home by Brian and Claire Rogers. Photo: John Borren.