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Winners Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival with Showings in San Francisco and Marin

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Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

Winners Announced for 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival
with Showings in San Francisco and Marin
March 7 -– 10, 2019


11 Films Receive Honors for Superior Work in Fields of  Environmental Awareness, Animation, Wildlife, Coastal Conservation, Citizen Science, Sports & Adventure and Short Subjects

www.intloceanfilmfest.org

13 February 2019 – San Francisco, CA: Amidst a virtual sea of cinematic talent, San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) has selected 11 films for special honors at this year’s 16th annual showcase, March 7 – 10. The award-winners recognize works highlightingenvironmental awareness, animation, wildlife, coastal conservation, citizen science, sports & adventure and short subjects. The annual awards are handed out at the end of each program at which the winner’s film is screened 

“Every year brings a greater awareness of our ocean heritage, and every year brings fresh, new talent to our screens,” said Ana Blanco, Executive Director for the International Ocean Film Festival. “This year’s stand out films offer a truly international perspective with films from the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom and the US.”

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 on average over 50 films annually from 15 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, Festival International du Film Maritime, which has continued to draw large audiences for more than 40 years. The International Ocean Film Festival is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit.

Sponsors for the 16th Annual International Ocean Film Festival include National Marine Sanctuaries, the Canadian Consulate of San Francisco and Silicon Valley, BigBus of San Francisco, SSA, RBC Wealth Management, Port of San Francisco, Alcatraz Cruises, San Francisco Magazine, and Hyatt Hotels, the Premiere Hotel Sponsor for the Festival. 

Screenings take place in San Francisco at the Cowell Theatre in Fort Mason and at the Roxie; in Marin at the Smith Rafael Film Center. Below, the chronological schedule of winning films for the 16th International Ocean Film Festival:

PROGRAM #1 – Thursday, March 7 at 4pm 
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by NOAA

  • Living with the Oceans, Nicky Milne* (United Kingdom) 17 min – COASTAL CULTURE AWARD
  • Protecting Blue Whales and Blue Skies, Michael Hanrahan (USA) 8 min – SHORT AWARD
  • The Final Breach, Jess Webster (United Kingdom) 17 min – U.S. Premiere – SHORT AWARD

PROGRAM #2 – Thursday, March 7 at 7pm – OPENING NIGHT
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by the Consulate General of Canada 

  • Near Miss, Josh Berry* (USA) 12 min – Bay Area Premiere – GOLDEN GATE AWARD
  • Sharkwater Extinction, Rob Stewart (Canada) 87 min – Bay Area Premiere – CONSERVATION AWARD

—————–

PROGRAM #3 – Friday, March 8 at 1pm
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by the Port of San Francisco 

  • Dispatches from the Gulf 2: Research, Innovation, Discovery, Hal Weiner (USA) 57 min – Bay Area Premiere – ENVIRONMENT AWARD

PROGRAM #1, Friday, March 8 at 4pm (Smith Rafael Film Center – 1118 4th Street, San Rafael) 

  • The Blues Crab, Ari Rubenstein* (USA) 14 min – Bay Area Premiere – ANIMATION AWARD
  • Manry at Sea: In the Wake of a Dream, Steve Wystrach (USA) 94 min – Bay Area Premiere – ADVENTURE/OCEAN SPORTS AWARD 

—————–

PROGRAM #6 – Saturday, March 9 at 10am
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by BigBus San Francisco

  • Beach Watch, Mary Jane Schramm* (USA) 5 min – World Premiere – CITIZEN SCIENCE AWARD

PROGRAM #1 –  Saturday, March 9 at 1:30pm
(Roxie – 3117 16th Street, San Francisco)

  • Scars – Politics in the Big Blue, Karin Hartman (Netherlands) 65 min – WILDLIFE AWARD

PROGRAM# 9 – Saturday, March 9 at 7pm
(Cowell Theatre, Fort Mason, San Francisco)
Presented by SSA

  • A Feather to Kill, Hardy Jones**, Uli Ploefner (USA) 48 min – World Premiere – DIRECTOR’S AWARD

*Filmmaker expected in attendance

**Film representative expected in attendance