Ocean Events

The Ocean Film Festival tour is back for 2023

The Ocean Film Festival anniversary tour will dive into the UK this autumn, bringing a new collection of captivating ocean-themed films to venues around the country. Additionally, Oceanographic has teamed up with the festival to give all attendees to physical showings a free full year's digital subscription to OceanHub.

08/08/2023

Written by Oceanographic Staff

Photographs by Jake Wilton, Bluetits and The Custodians

08/08/2023

Now in its tenth year, the Ocean Film Festival is a cinematic celebration of the planet’s oceans, starring mind-boggling marine creatures, thrilling watersports, and highlighting the profound impact of a lifestyle connected to the ocean. From September to November 2023, it will bring new ocean short films to the UK.

“We started the Ocean Film Festival World Tour with big dreams, not only to inspire the world to explore and enjoy our oceans, but also to protect and respect them,” said festival founder Jemima Robinson and added: “With a passion for film and all things ocean, I wanted the Ocean Film Festival World Tour to become an avenue for bringing people together to celebrate Mother Nature. We have done this through sharing unique stories from independent filmmakers from around the globe, and now set our sights towards the next 10 years.”

This year, the Ocean Film Festival features a selection of short films starring seafaring voyages, extreme watersports and marine conservation from the least explored depths of the planet.

Film highlights include Broken Breath, a short film that follows Italian freediving champion Mike Maric, who was at the top of his sport when a tragic accident left his world shattered. Mike went from being able to hold his breath for over five minutes, to being unable to hold it for ten seconds. From swimming with dolphins to self-discovery, this film shares a journey of how the ocean can be an opportunity to find rebirth.

Bluetits, on the other hand, is a short film about self-discovery and joie de vivre. It is a heartwarming celebration of a cold-water swimming community that was founded by Sian Richardson in Pembrokeshire in 2014 and ended up inspiring an international movement.

Another film that will be showcased, amongst others, is The Custodians. Viewers will meet the Scots who are restoring their local waters, one seagrass bed at a time. As commercial overfishing and bottom trawling have turned Scotland’s once-thriving west coast waters into sparse, lifeless deserts, The Custodians follows the work of four locals who are reclaiming their natural coastlines, restoring wildlife, creating sustainable industries and showing us how we can work with, not against, our ocean.

In other news

Ocean Events

Weaving "Indigenous knowledge" with science crucial for coral

Indigenous knowledge meets western science in a new initiative so scale up coral restoration on the Great Barrier Reef

Ocean Events

Nasa unveils hidden volcanoes in 'unprecedented' view of seafloor

Ocean Events

Is plankton poo the climate crisis' unlikeliest hero?

Plankton poop: Microscopic marine life known as zooplankton could hold a crucial piece of the climate change puzzle simply by eating and pooping

Ocean Events

Arctic on fire: Wildfires turn polar region into carbon source

Ocean Events

Mako shark tagged for first time in the Mediterranean

mako shark: Notoriously elusive and lightening fast, the mako shark has been tagged for the first time in the Mediterranean

The Ocean Film Festival originated in Australia, and in its first ten years has been shown in 14 countries, showcased films from 89 independent filmmakers, and donated over £21,000 to ocean charities. The 2023 UK tour is presented by the Marine Conservation Society and by PADI, the world’s largest diver organisation.

“PADI is excited to partner with the Ocean Film Festival again in 2023, to showcase adventures beneath the waves that are often closer to home than people might realise,” said Rachel Croft, marketing manager at PADI. “As the largest diving organisation in the world, we have a bold mission to create a billion Torchbearers to explore and protect the ocean. PADI is mobilising its global community in solution-based initiatives geared towards a more sustainable future for all. We invite attendees of the UK Ocean Film Festival to join PADI to become a Torchbearer and drive positive ocean change,” she added.

The inspirational short films are introduced by a compère, and each screening will see a free prize giveaway to win ocean-related goodies. Additionally, Oceanographic has teamed up with the festival to give all attendees to physical showings a free full year’s digital subscription to OceanHub.

To find out more about the films that will be shown at venues across the UK, watch the trailer and book tickets, visit www.oceanfilmfestival.co.uk.

For more from our Ocean Newsroom, click here.