Award-Winners Announced for 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival
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Award-Winners Announced for 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival
$ 115,000 Raised at “Off The Reef” Gala
Festival runs March 8 – 11 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater
Additional Screenings at SF’s Roxie and Marin’s Lark Theaters
1 March 2018 – San Francisco, CA: “And the envelope please……” Not to be upstaged by the Oscars – it is after all “Award Month” – the San Francisco based International Ocean Film Festival has announced the 10 winning films for its highly coveted annual awards. Coming off the Festival’s most comprehensive selection season and an equally as successful fundraising cycle, the so called “Sundance of ocean film festivals” is poised for a landmark series of offerings March 8 – 11 in venues in San Francisco and Marin.
“It’s a cliché but also a truism that every one of our films is a winner and worthy of an award,” said Ana Blanco, executive director for the International Ocean Film Festival “Having said that, 10 films stood out for us as most representative of our mission: saving our oceans, one film at a time.”
This year’s award winners are:
Coastal Culture Award: The Islands and the Whales (United Kingdom – 81 minutes), director Mike Day. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 7:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Conservation Award: Seeking Sanctuary (United Kingdom – 11 minutes), director Nick Jones. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 1:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Environment Award: Reefs at Risk (USA – 11 minutes), director Malina Fagan. Screening: Friday, March 9, 7:00 pm and Saturday, March 10, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason; and Sunday, March 11, 5:00 pm, Lark Theater, Larkspur, CA,
Golden Gate Award: Kim Swims (USA – 75 minutes), directors Kate Webber & David Orr. Screening: Thursday, March 8, 8:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Short Award: The Agave Gun (USA/Mexico – 10 minutes), director Ross Haines. Screening: Friday, March 9, 7:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco.
Wildlife Award: Albatross (USA – 97 minutes), director Chris Jordan. Screening: Sunday, March 11, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Director’s Award: Lionfish: New Pirates of the Caribbean (Germany – 52 minutes), director Ulf Marquardt. Screening: Friday, March 9, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco.
Adventure Award: Touched by the Ocean (Latvia – 68 minutes), directors Laura Rožkalne-Ozola & Sandijs Semjonovs. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 4:00 pm at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Citizen Science Award: Return of the Harbor Porpoises (USA – 10 minutes), director Jim Sugar. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 10:00 am at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
Animation Award: Chiripajas (Russia/Spain – 2 minutes), directors Olga Poliektova & Jaume Quiles. Screening: Saturday, March 10, 10:00 am at Cowell Theater, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA.
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. Every year, the festival has presented close to 50 films from 15 different countries and features post-film Q&A sessions with visiting filmmakers, special panel discussions with content experts, and the annual Free Student Education Program. The festival 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.
Sponsors for the 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuaries, the Canadian Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, MINI Cooper, SSA Visitor Services for Cultural Attractions, Port of San Francisco, RBC Wealth Management, Alcatraz Cruises, Big Bus San Francisco, Gray Line of San Francisco, San Francisco Magazine, and Hotel Zephyr, official hotel sponsor for the festival.
The 15th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will take place March 8 – 11, 2018, at San Francisco’s Cowell Theater at Fort Mason with additional screenings on Sunday, March 11 at San Francisco’s Roxie Theatre and at the Lark Theater in Larkspur. A full, detailed schedule of all screenings may be found online at www.oceanfilmfest.org. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit.