The 22nd Annual International Ocean Film Festival has been endorsed by the 2021-2030 United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

Join us on April 11-13, 2025 for the world’s largest ocean themed film festival around the globe.

Schedule of Events:

Friday, April 11, 2025

Program #1 Deep Sea Exploration

4:00 PM @ Cowell Theater - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

Peixinho (Little Fish)

Right next door to surfing mecca South Africa, Mozambique is a stark contrast. Most of the inhabitants of Peixinho’s (little fish) village don’t even know how to swim, despite depending on the sea for their livelihoods. Our young hero is determined to change that and restore the fishing economy. - KH

SOULS

Rarely do you get six world renowned ocean legends in the same room and on the same panel, but suggest a dive trip and they will be on that boat.  Inspiring stories from award-winning underwater photographers on their first experience diving into the ocean, changes they have seen in their lifetime, and yet, they remain hopeful for future generations. – AB

Defend The Deep

Filmakers Liz Rubin and Richard Charter bring us stunning images of deep sea creatures while making compelling reasons to preserve our ocean floors and deep sea ecosystems by halting the new extractive industry practice of deep seabed mining. Ecological and spiritual connections with the deep ocean are highlighted, as well as offering viable solutions to the perceived need to mine rare metals. – LG

Ocean Watch - A Story of Deep Sea Exploration

The state-of-the-art research vessel, R/V Falkor (too), is a beacon of modern oceanographic exploration. Equipped with leading-edge technology and an advanced deep-sea robot, it’s your gateway to witnessing the uncharted wonders of Earth’s most enigmatic environment. Experience the thrill of discovery as leading researchers unveil groundbreaking findings from their latest scientific expeditions that are illuminating a world beyond imagination. – BB

Program #2 - The Power of One Person

7pm @ Cowell Theater - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

Wild Hope: Whale Shark Homecoming

Watch as a fishing community in Gujarat, India embraces a cultural shift and initiates local conservation efforts to protect whale sharks after years killing thousands of the world’s largest fish. The documentary highlights whale shark slaughter in 2001. An NGO, a local religious leader named Morari Bapur, and Indian law inspire locals to pivot and rally around local pride protecting and honoring whale sharks rather than killing them. – SP

Turtle Walker

Satish Bhaskar, Indian explorer, has dedicated his life to the study of sea turtles. He shares his discoveries along with some unexpected revelations along the way. Bhaskar’s life is a testament that one man’s pursuit can lastingly impact an entire nation. His dedication has laid the groundwork for sea turtle research in India today. Let Bhaskir’s captivating life story unfold, from his heart to yours. – JA

Saturday, April 12, 2025

Program #3 Plastic Pollution: Let's Find Solutions!

10am @ Cowell Theater - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

Wild Hope: The Great Ocean Cleanup

Plastic pollution is one of the largest threats oceans face today. Boyan Slat, founder & CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, embarked on a mission to solve this problem. The original idea was to create a floating device that would use the movement of the ocean to collect waste. He initially focused on rivers, in order to prevent trash flowing to the ocean. He made several prototypes until the 2021 version proved successful. - NS

The Human Side Of Plastic: Babacar Thiaw

Rooted in his love for the ocean, Babacar Thiaw, founder of Senegal’s first zero-waste restaurant, turned his passion and dedication into action, creating a movement reaching beyond the coastline of his hometown in Dakar, Senegal. A picturesque, captivating short film filled with inspiration and hope for our planet. – JA

Casa Congo Documentary, Episode 3 - Las Tejedoras

In El Astillero many families face homelessness and the plastic pollution which threatens both sea turtles and tourism. The community has learned to now trust Las Tejedoras, a group of 17 women who upcycle plastic bags into art. With NGO Casa Congo’s support, they’ve become global entrepreneurs and environmental leaders. Their challenge is balancing family life with their craft to sustain income and protect the ocean. – DL

Footprints on Katmai

Take this creative journey with artist and filmmaker Max Romey who retraces his grandmother’s footsteps to Katmai years after she journeyed there to sketch the pristine Alaskan wilderness. Rather than sketching the gorgeous scenes - the bears, moose, wolves, glaciers and mountains - as his grandmother once did, Romey feels compelled to sketch an endless collection of shoes that he and his expedition mates find while removing plastic from local beaches. – SP

Panel Discussion - 12pm Tide Pool

Join us in the Tide Pool (Building D at Fort Mason), Saturday April 12th at 12pm for a Free Event, put on as part of the educational outreach from the International Ocean Film Foundation.

Program #4 Sharks: Beyond the Fear

1pm @ Shark Soiree at the Cowell Theater

Caleb - Beyond the Bite

Years after having lost his leg to a shark, Caleb confronts his disability, his vulnerability, and his fears, and explores his paradoxically deepening connection with the ocean– and with sharks. Now he must choose between a self-image as victim, or survivor. In swimming among them, he experiences a paradigm shift, recognizing his place in the world.

Monsters

This heartbreaking conservation film focuses on the undercover story of three diving friends who set out to investigate how the widespread use of ‘nets’ have protected people from shark bites in Durban, South Africa. Shocked with what they find out and aiming to educate the public, they  show the results of their undercover investigation, highlighting the lies that locals tell in order to make people feel “safe” from sharks, even if that entails the suffering of marine animals. - NS

Panel Discussion 3:30pm Tide Pool

Join us in the Tide Pool (Building D at Fort Mason), Saturday April 12th at 3:30pm for a Free Event, put on as part of the educational outreach from the International Ocean Film Foundation.

Program #5 What We Don't See...Understanding Our Impact

4:00 PM at the Cowell Theater

The Mother Of Diamonds - Kimberlite

Filmed in Eastern Greenland (part of an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark) free diver Anna von Bötticher ventures beneath the Arctic ice in search of Kimberlite— a rare igneous rock that contains diamonds and forms in vertical structures known as Kimberlite Pipes. This visually intriguing film offers a glimpse into the frozen depths. – ST

IMMERSIVE

Oceanographers descend 8,000 feet to the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to study hydrothermal vents. Life as we understand it should not exist here – within perpetual darkness, engulfed in toxic minerals, and under extreme heat and pressure. And yet it does. An ancient biosphere thrives with otherworldly organisms that offer extraordinary clues into the origin of life on Earth and beyond. – BB

The Big Sea

A play on words, the subject of this highly anticipated U.S. premiere speaks to the surfer’s love for the ocean while exposing potentially deadly consequences for those living in close proximity to the manufacturing plants that produce neoprene-based wetsuits.  Even before catching the best waves, surfers carefully select their essential gear to keep them warm, but at what cost?  Here’s your chance to find out. – AB

Program #6 Surfing and Kicking ****(s)

7:00 PM at Cowell Theater - Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture

Above Sinai

The stunning landscape where the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba meet the desert mountains is home to the small Egyptian town of Dahab. Here, young Egyptian woman Sarah Sadek, originally from Cairo, living among the Bedouin tribes soars over the landscape as a professional kiteboarder. She overcomes challenges faced as a woman in the sport and becomes a successful and inspiring competitor. – ST

The Cigarette Surfboard

An impassioned surfer, Taylor Lane, creates a functional surfboard with 10,000 littered cigarette butts collected from California beaches. The Cigarette Surfboard becomes a platform to learn from professional surfers who are working to protect and restore the health of the ocean, and the symbol of a grassroots campaign to hold Big Tobacco accountable for their toxic, plastic waste. Surfing is the medium, but the message is universal.

Sunday, April 13, 2025

Program #7 Whales: Majestic and Meaningful Mammals

10am at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco

BATTLE of the BLUES

breathtaking visuals and compelling storytelling, the film celebrates their awe-inspiring beauty and immense size while examining their troubled history and ongoing challenges. The resilience of these gentle giants and the urgent need for their conservation is highlighted during their seasonal migration and feeding in the crowded Santa Barbara Channel. – BB

A Sentinel's End

Washed ashore after a ship propeller strike, the carcass of a Pacific Gray whale lands on a Northern California beach. Over months of observations, Dr. Dietz, scientist and explorer, guides us through a visual diary showing the process of decomposition of this behemoth, highlighting facts about the species and the threats it faces in today's world of changing climate. – JA

One With The Whale

On this frozen Bering Sea island, without subsistence hunting you die. Amid increasing food scarcity Chris, a Yupik transgender teen, braves treacherous seas to harpoon a whale: a month’s food for his village. Thus he becomes a man, becomes “one with the whale.” But media reports trigger hate mail, even death threats. Now Chris and others must balance tradition with cultural and gender biases within and beyond their community. – MJS

Panel Discussion 12:00 PM Tide Pool - Fort Mason

Join us in the Tide Pool (Building D at Fort Mason), Sunday April 13th at 12pm for a Free Event, put on as part of the educational outreach from the International Ocean Film Foundation.

Program #8 Crossing Oceans, What Will We Discover?

1:00 PM at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco.

5 Degrees, 6 Minutes, 7AM

Kiel University student filmmakers bring us German swimmers who dip into the 41-degree local waters to enjoy the friendly atmosphere, the water, and the early morning sun. On the pier they meet friends and practice a refreshing ritual to enjoy the sun's golden rays reflecting on the water, to reset, and to wash their worries away. – SP

ARCTIC DIVE

An international research team sets out on an expedition to the Arctic aboard the German research icebreaker RV Polarstern. Its groundbreaking mission is to study the complex interactions between ocean structure and dynamics, sea ice physics, biogeochemistry, and Arctic biodiversity including exploring the Arctic seabed four thousand meters beneath the ice. The film also provides a captivating look at life aboard a research icebreaker, highlighting the dedication and diversity of its crew, their strong camaraderie… and the ship’s iconic pipe-smoking captain. – ST

Panel Discussion 3:30pm Tide Pool - Fort Mason

Join us in the Tide Pool (Building D at Fort Mason), Sunday April 13th at 3:30pm for a Free Event, put on as part of the educational outreach from the International Ocean Film Foundation.

Program #9 Partnering for Change

4pm at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco

Deep Look: Watch This Starfish Protect Her Babies From Danger

This stunning short with breathtaking images centers on the unique six-rayed sea stars’ (most sea stars only have five arms) roles as mothers. They live in Northern California’s intertidal zone, but unlike other species, these starfish stay and ‘hide’ their babies for a long time, going to the extent of not eating for three months, until their offspring are ready to go out on their own. - NS

Saving Seagrass

Filmmaker Robert Boyd documents the importance of seagrass by bringing us to the underwater nursery in the estuaries of Mobile Bay, Alabama. We learn of the dependence on healthy beds of seagrass for sea creatures of all sizes, from manatees to tiny seahorses. We understand how rapid growth is challenging this fragile ecosystem, and what we can do to help save it for future generations to enjoy. – LG

A Living Shoreline

San Francisco Bay Area filmmaker, Packard Jennings, documents a project developing new, light-weight reef habitat structures to attract oysters and other sea life. These structures also help to protect low-lying coastal areas within the bay area that are vulnerable to sea level rise and storm surges. This test project design shows great promise for much larger scale coastal habitats, not only in the Bay Area but globally. – LG

Sequoias of the Sea

Sequoias of the Sea tells the story of the environmental, cultural and economic destruction wrought in a California coastal town that has lost its kelp forest. It’s a deep dive into the lives of a scientist, a commercial fisherman and a community working to restore its coastal resources devastated by the primary cause climate disaster. – DL

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Date: April 11-13, 2025

Location: George Lane Park

5520 West Avenue L8, Quartz Hill, CA 93536

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