Third Annual International Ocean Film Festival

Celebrate World Ocean Day and enjoy six ocean-inspired films from around the world along with a special presentation by expert panelists.

Guests will have the chance to participate in a raffle to support the Guy Harvey Foundation’s education outreach and community engagement efforts. Proceeds from the event will allow the Foundation to keep providing students with hands-on STEAM experiences and offering professional development to educators through teacher training workshops and a comprehensive catalog of standards-based educational materials and other assets.

The Third Annual International Ocean Film Festival is presented by the Guy Harvey Foundation and Nova Southeastern University and made possible through generous donations from Surfing’s Evolution and Preservation Foundation and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

Ticket Prices:
– $20 (Student & Educators Admission) / $60 (General Admission) – Includes concession prior to films, intermission panel and reception with drinks and hors d’ oeuvres

Event’s Tentative Schedule:
– 3:00 p.m. – Doors open; guests can mingle and enjoy concessions
– 3:30 p.m. – Intro and films program start
– 4:10 p.m. – Intermission Panel
– 4:40 p.m. – Films program resumes
– 5:30 p.m. – Reception

List of Films:

Disappearing Giants: What Happened to Florida’s Goliath Groupers? (Ocean First Institute, USA)
Goliath Grouper, once relatively abundant in U.S. waters in the 1890s to early 1900s, experienced extreme overfishing thereafter, approaching extinction by the1980s. Fishery closures were put into place that set this species on a trajectory to recovery for 20 years. However, despite these protections, populations seem to be on another decline. Our team, led by Dr. Chris Malinowski, is on a mission to investigate these declines in offshore waters of Florida.

Deep Look: A Coral is Born
When the moon, sun and ocean temperatures all align, an underwater “snowstorm” occurs. Corals put on a massive spawning spectacle by sending tiny white spheres floating up the water column all at once.

Wild Hope: Whale Shark Homecoming (Geoff Luck, USA)
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.

The Human Side of Plastic, Babacar Thiaw (Andrew Lynch, Ben Ayers, Rush Sturges, USA)
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.

Caleb – Beyond the Bite (Nicola Gerrard, South Africa)
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.

Souls (Ian Mun, Singapore)
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.