20^th Anniversary Benefit for International Ocean Film Festival
March 31, 7pm at California Academy of Sciences

Honors Ocean Champions Ashlan & Phillippe Cousteau

Franco Finn of Golden Gate Warriors Fame is Emcee / Auctioneer

Festival Runs April 13 – 16 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre Fort Mason
and the Smith Theatre San Rafael

www.intloceanfilmfest.org 

15 March 2023 —  San Francisco, CA:  Celebrating “20 years of saving the world’s oceans, one film at a time,” San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) is honoring this year’s “Ocean Champions” at its annual benefit, Friday, March 31 (7pm) at the California Academy of Sciences: Phillipe & Ashlan Cousteau.  The evening will feature food, fine wine,  a silent auction and a live auction spearheaded by “Warriors Hype Man” Franco Finn.  The evening’s schedule is 7pm – 7:30pm cocktail reception in the Aquarium; 8pm – 10pm dinner and program; 10pm – 11:30pm dancing. Highlighted during the evening will be previews of the Festival’s upcoming films. Individual tickets are $ 225 and can be purchased at www.intloceanfilmfest.org (direct event link: https://intloceanfilmfest.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/MakingWaves/tabid/1352412/Default.aspx ). Also, sponsorship are available for full tables.

“It’s so good to be back in person” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “This year’s event gives us the opportunity to gather, restore and celebrate with ocean loving friends including a chance to engage with ocean scientists and filmmaker and directors.”

Phillippe Cousteau Jr’s EarthEcho International is launching the inaugural OurEcho Challenge competition in the United Kingdom, challenging teams of students, years 6-10, to help tackle the global decline in biodiversity. Teams are invited to get hands-on by identifying threats to natural resources in their own communities, then develop innovative solutions to combat those threats. UK project grants from £1,000 to £5,000 will be awarded to the top three scoring teams.

EarthEcho International is a global nonprofit founded on the belief that young people have the power to change our planet. The OurEcho Challenge is a STEM competition designed to engage young problem solvers in understanding and protecting the amazing diversity of species and ecosystems essential for the future of our planet. The OurEcho Challenge is also open in the United States for its third successful year.

Philippe Cousteau Jr, founder of EarthEcho International, said: “We are calling for young people in the United Kingdom to join their peers in the United States and turn their passion for the environment and science into action plans for their own communities. We are supporting their efforts to protect and restore the diverse species and habitats that make life on earth possible. They inspire all of us to take action for a healthy and prosperous planet.”

Past recipients of the Ocean Champion Award includelegendary oceanographer and marine activist Dr. Sylvia Earle, Kip Evans, director of Expeditions for Mission Blue, Academy-Award winning director Louie Psihoyos,  Jeff Boehmn, Executive Director of the Marine Mammal Center and Swedish environmentalist and climate change activist Greta Thunberg.

The 20^th annual Festival, April 13 – 16 takes place at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason and San Rafael’s Smith Center: 42 films representing 14 countries and include three free Virtual Reality film screenings. Especially anticipated is the Festival’s opening night offering Deep Rising, a Sundance Film Festival winner. This up-to-the-minute tale of geopolitical, scientific, and corporate intrigue that exposes the machinations of a secretive organization empowered to greenlight massive extraction of metals from the deep seafloor that are deemed essential to the electric battery revolution. Other Festival highlights include Collision, an eye opening film about the main cause of death in large whales, and Patrick and the Whale in which stunning underwater footage explores the fascinating nature of the Sperm Whale and its intriguing and complex intelligence and relationship with humanity.

The Festival accepts films of all genres that focus on any of the varied aspects of our big, blue ocean. Subject matter ranges from, but is not limited to, marine wildlife, conservation efforts, ocean environments, coastal cultures, ocean sports and exploration, ocean heroes, and innovative technology designed to help protect the ocean. Films can be documentaries, narratives, shorts, animation, and full-length films from around the world. A number of finalists from the main film festival program will be selected to participate in the world-renowned International Ocean Film Festival Traveling Program. This year’s film categories include Environmental, Marine Sciences/Wildlife, Exploration & Ocean Sports, Coastal Island Culture. Animation, Conservation, Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Shorts and Female Directors.

Sponsors for this year’s festival include RingCentral, Jenga Ocean, Hapag Lloyd, RBC Wealth Management, Dynamico Space, PADI, Thor’s Hope Foundation, Laura Wais Underwater Photography and the Consul General of Canada in San Francisco. Since its launch in 2004, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has attracted thousands of spectators of all ages from around the world, including film enthusiasts, sea athletes, educators, and environmental supporters. Since then, the Festival has presented over 815 films from 40 different countries and featured post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the Annual Free Student Education Program. It was the first event of its kind in North America, inspired by the well-established ocean festival in Toulon, France, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years.

Below is the full list (in alphabetical order by title, followed by director, country of origin and running time) for this year’s 20^th Anniversary Festival. 

And yet, I remain, Rick Wall (South Africa) 8 min
The Arctic Halocline, Amy Lauren (USA) 21 min
Big Wave Guardians, Luke Stirtz (USA) 90 min
Blue Carbon, Paul Nicklen (USA) 3 min
Bottle Cap, Marie Hyon & Marco Spier (USA) 5 min
Changing Seas: Vanishing Whales, Alexa Elliott (USA) 27 min
Cold Refuge, Judy Irving (USA) 79 min
Collision, Philip Hamilton (London, UK) 80 min
Deep Look: Barnacles Go to Unbelievable Lengths to Hook Up, Josh Cassidy (USA) 4 min
Deep Look: Skeleton Shrimp Use 18 Appendages to Feed, Fight and… Frolic, Mike Seely (USA) 5 min
Deep Rising, Matthieu Rytz (USA) 98 min
Fishing Into the Future: A San Diego Story, Lindsay Bauman & Andrea Sanchez Davidson (USA) 5 min
Gender Outlaw, A Bodysurfing Story, Peter Williams (USA) 16 min
The Gift of Bathsheba, Zach Hellmuth (USA) 4 min
Havana Libre, Corey McLean (USA) 85 min
Horseshoe Crabs: Survival of a Living Dinosaur, Andrea Kramar (USA) 6 min
Huff, David Mangum (USA) 7 min
Hypnotise, Ste Everington (Australia) 4 min
I Want Sun, Manlio David Martinez (Honduras) 30 min
The Impossible Wave, Jessica Frankovelgia Johnson & Jay Johnson (USA) 40 min 2023 Female Filmmaker Award
Inseparable: Ava, Andrew Harrison Brown (USA) 11 min
Mediterranean LIFE UNDER SIEGE, Fred Fougea (France) 91 min
Molokai and the Frog, José Gerardo Flores Ruiz (Mexico) 19 min
New Boats, Lansana Mansaray (Sierra Leone) 50 min
Patrick and the Whale, Mark Fletcher (Austria) 72 min
Planting Coral Forests, Johann Vorster (Kenya) 27 min
PLSTC, Laen Sanches (France) 2 min
Restoring the Farallon Islands: A Critical Conservation Opportunity, Brandon Schilling (USA) 4 min
Rise of the Clambassador, Alexander Davidowski (USA) 8 min
Robots in the Deep, Leo Richards (UK) 13 min
SAGRES, José Eduardo Zuzarte (Portugal) 44 min
SB2508: A Death Threat to Everglades Restoration, Noah Alexander Miller (USA) 30 min
Seagrass for Sea Change, Whitney Beer-Kerr (Australia) 12 min
The Shark with a Thousand Names, Hendrik Sebastian Schmitt (Germany) 18 min
The Storm Chaser, Jack Pirie (UK) 7 min
Tangled in the Tides, Henk Ekermans & Barend van der Watt (South Africa) 50 min
Truluck, Matt Cannon & Jake Smallwood (UK) 20 min
Washed Ashore, Ley Heimgartner & Cameron Nielsen (USA) 16 min
Windshipped, Jon Bowermaster (USA) 39 min
VR Film: 360 Sea Plastic, Narrated by Tim Robbins (USA) 7 min
VR FIlm: Dive into Sipidan (Malaysia) 7 min
VR Film: Roots to Reef 360 (Singapore) 16 min

The 20th International Ocean Film Festival runs April 13 – 16, 2023 at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center. The International Ocean Film Festival is a 501(c) 3 non-profit.

Click Here to View the More Information ABout David Perry and Associates : March 31st 20th Anniversary Benefit for International Ocean Film Festival Honors Ashlan And Phillippe Cousteau at SF's CalAcademy