Universe of the Boxfish is a semi-poetic journey through the eyes of Ava, a 13-year-old girl whose thoughts run deeper than her age. One day, she dives into the ocean searching for the Yellow Boxfish – a tiny, oddly shaped, poisonous, bright-yellow fish – but what she finds is far greater than the world of this little creature.
Through Ava’s perspective, the underwater world becomes a “universe” filled with beauty, fragility, and scars left by climate change. She witnesses a whale shark drifting past like a wandering planet, sea turtles gliding in serenity, dugongs grazing on seagrass—but also sees bleached coral, stray fishing nets, and fish schools broken apart. The Yellow Boxfish becomes more than just an object of fascination—it transforms into a “great teacher” that teaches Ava about evolution, patience, vulnerability, and courage to keep living even as the world changes.
The film closes with the girl’s simple but lingering question, echoing in the audience’s hearts: “Are we just observers… or will we be the ones who choose to protect?”
Directed by Dr. Alongkot Chukaew (Thailand).