International Ocean Film Festival

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:

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