Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival will be hosting its signature four-day event at the Bay Theater at Aquarium of the Bay on PIER 39 from March 7 to 10. Kicking off the event is an exciting Opening Night Gala featuring Jean-Michel Cousteau, founder of Ocean Futures Society and son of legendary oceanographer and explorer Jacques Cousteau.
The International Ocean Film Festival has become recognized as North America’s premier “cinemaquatic” event, screening almost every genre of film in its 11 unique programs. Ma Forteresse by Jose Lachat is a mesmerizing film about a crustacean with giant ambition.
Published: March, 2013
Celebrating its 10th Anniversary, the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival will be hosting its signature four-day event at the Bay Theater at Aquarium of the Bay on PIER 39 from March 7 to 10. Kicking off the event is an exciting Opening Night Gala featuring Jean-Michel Cousteau, founder of Ocean Futures Society and son of legendary oceanographer and explorer Jacques Cousteau.
Presented by NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuaries, Aquarium of the Bay and the Bay Institute, the festival features more than 50 independent ocean-inspired films from 14 different countries. With its largest selection of international films to date, the International Ocean Film Festival has become recognized as North America’s premier "cinemaquatic" event, screening almost every genre of film in its 11 unique programs; documentary, narrative, animation, short and several full-length feature-length films address key critical issues facing today’s oceans (see sidebar). Designed to educate, entertain and engage audiences to develop a better understanding of the unique ecosystems that make up the fragile resource of the ocean, the festival offers something for audiences of all ages.
Kicking off the festivities on Thursday, March 7 at 6 p.m., the Opening Night Gala will feature hosted sips and nibbles provided by notable San Francisco eateries such as Waterbar, Swan Oyster Depot, Fog Harbor Fish House, Greens Restaurant, Hog Island Oyster Company, Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, SharkFest Wines, Schramsberg, and Promenade Wines, among others. After enjoying delicious food at the Aquarium, attendees will move into the Bay Theater for a special presentation by Jean-Michel Cousteau, The Ocean Adventure, highlighting his own underwater films.
Another major highlight for this 10th Anniversary is the student film competition sponsored by the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, just north of the Farallones. Advertised nationwide, the competition attracted entries from schools across the country. Awards will be issued to the first-, second- and third-place winners at a dedicated screening for the competition on Sunday, March 10 at 10 a.m. The first-place film wins a $500 cash prize; second- and third-place films receive GoPro cameras.
The student film competition is only part of the festival’s commitment to education. Every year, the festival hosts a free student education program for middle and high school students featuring exciting and inspirational ocean-themed films. After the screening, students participate in live Q&A sessions with filmmakers and marine scientists. With the goal of educating and inspiring youth to take an active part in protecting our vital ocean ecosystems and encourage youth participation in the arts and documentary filmmaking, the International Ocean Film Festival impacts over 1,000 young students annually.
"As a coastal city, rich with resources offered by the ocean, it’s only fitting that the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival be the destination event for learning more about the world’s ocean, marine life, and environmental concerns as seen through the eyes of accomplished filmmakers from around the world," said Executive Director Ana Blanco. "With the support of our donors, sponsors and volunteers we invite Bay Area audiences and tourists alike to take an unforgettable seafaring journey of four days of inspiring films."
The festival is no longer just a San Francisco phenomenon. In 2011, an international traveling program was launched to create an opportunity to showcase select films to audiences around the world. Partnering with a variety of organizations both national and international, the International Ocean Film Festival has increased both the message and the impact of the films to a broader audience, on a broader stage. Currently, programs can be found in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Russia.
Highlights of the Ocean Film Festival:
Ma Forteresse by Jose Lachat (Friday, March 8, 4 p.m.) is a mesmerizing film about a crustacean with giant ambition.
Surf program (Friday, March 8, 7 p.m): This year’s films take you inside the world of surfing around the globe from the Mavericks of California to the Baltic Sea, with local filmmaker Josh Pomer’s Discovering Mavericks and first time entrant Aleksi Raij of Finland with Finnsurf.
Shark program (Saturday, March 9, 1 p.m.): Always a popular program about sharks, highlights include My Father the Captain by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Bay Area filmmaker Steve Dildarian’s animated short I’m Going to Bite Someone, which gives us a humorous shark’s point-of-view.
Awards Night (Saturday, March 9, 7 p.m.): Giants of the Deep by Ralf Kiefner and Andrea Ramalho will awe and touch you, with 40-ton humpback whale mothers nuzzling two-ton calves and 60-foot males butting heads to win a mate. Also, Saving the Ocean – the Sacred Islands by Jon Angier showcases conservationist Carl Safina exploring solutions to overexploitation in Africa’s Zanzibar Archipelago, where an innovative approach to sustainable fishing is based on the Islamic conservation ethic.
The Big Fix by Josh Tickell (Sunday, March 10, 1 p.m.) is the story of the geyser of lies that already spew out as the cap of the Deepwater Horizon bursts open. Following BP’s offshore oil spill in 2010, this documentary feature inspects the consequences of human error and the cover-up that ensued.
Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story (Sunday, March 10, 4 p.m.) by Brian Gillogly features the original Gidget, the happy-go-lucky Kathy Kohner, who surfed Malibu Beach in the 1950s and was a pioneer, icon and hero to all the women who have followed in her wake.
10th Annual San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival at a Glance
When: March 7-10, 2013
Where: Bay Theater adjacent to Aquarium by the Bay on PIER 39
Tickets: Available online at www.oceanfilmfest.org or in person at the Bay Theater.
Individual program tickets:
- Adults: $14
- Seniors (ages 65+) and Students: $10
- Children (ages 12 and under): $8
- Opening Night Gala: $150
Festival Pass: Opening Night Gala and all films: $200
Film Pass: All films in Program 2 through Program 11 plus panel discussions: $100
All individual program tickets and passes include free admission to Aquarium of the Bay. Discounted parking passes to Pier 39 Garage will be available for purchase in the lobby of the Bay Theater with film ticket.
Join discussions by filmmakers, producers and ocean champions on the Blue & Gold Ferry, docked at Pier 41. Refer to website for discussion times.
Rush Tickets: If the online ticket system has sold out its allotment of tickets for a particular show, a show may not be sold out. If tickets are available for a specific screening they will go on sale 20 minutes before screening on a first-come first-served basis.
Tickets and Info: www.oceanfilmfest.org or (415) 561-6251
The film Giants of the Deep features 40-ton humpback whale mothers nuzzling two-ton calves and 60-foot males butting heads to win a mate. Photo: © Ralf Kiefner / www.ocean-pix.de
Bay Area filmmaker Steve Dildarian’s animated short I’m Going to Bite Someone gives a humorous shark’s point-of-view.
