Friday June 9th | 5:15 pm
La Paloma Theater
USA | 2022 | 1:34:00
Documentary | Feature
Narrated by Jason Momoa, this original documentary by Sidewinder Films (At the Heart of Gold: Inside the USA Gymnastics Scandal, Munich ’72 and Beyond), features commentary from surfing’s biggest stars, including newly-crowned Olympic gold medalist Carissa Moore, while also delving into his personal successes, struggles and humanitarianism through rare footage, contemporary visuals and incisive interviews.
Directed by Isaac Halasima
*Filmmaker in attendance
Sunday June 11th | 8:00 pm
Forum – UC San Diego Park & Market / Virtual
Korea | 2023 | 17:00
Documentary | Short
For Jaeyoun Kim, the ocean is more than a connection to family; it’s a path to healing. Patagonia Films’ Daughter of the Sea follows Jaeyoun, who leaves her island home in South Korea to pursue a more traditional career path in Seoul. But as her mental health begins to unravel and depression sets in, she decides to join the haenyeo, Jeju Island’s famed “women of the sea.” For centuries, these free divers and fisherwomen—some in their 80s—have dived more than 30 feet to gather seafood for their families and villages. Following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, Jaeyoun learns what it means to become a haenyeo and why returning to the ocean ultimately saves her.
Directed by Nancy Kwon
Saturday June 10th | 7:30 pm
Virtual
Korea | 2023 | 5:00
Documentary | Short
Fighting for the planet doesn’t have to be so serious. Just ask Hot Pink Dolphins, a group of marine life–loving activists using color, quirkiness and humor to spread the message that a threat to dolphins is a threat to us. The Patagonia Films’ documentary short follows three members of the grassroots organization as they work to return captive dolphins to the wild and create a marine protected area in Jeju Island, South Korea. Their signature hot pink jumpsuits give them the courage to fight against habitat-destroying development projects, overtourism and naval bases that threaten this critical species. Blending K-pop tunes, punk rock aesthetics and grunge design, Hot Pink Dolphins reminds us that the most powerful environmental movements come from the heart.
Directed by Peter Goetz
Saturday June 10th | 5:05 pm
Virtual
Korea | 2023 | 6:00
Documentary | Short
When a devastating accident alters his life forever, Ji Wook-cheol asks, “What should I do for the rest of my life?” His answer is activism. Patagonia Films’ documentary short Jalpi follows the former sailor as he works to protect the important seabeds—or jalpi—being decimated by industrialization and climate change in his hometown of Tongyeong, South Korea. But if Mr. Ji wants to regenerate the underwater forests and create a marine protected area that supports local communities, he’ll have to convince reluctant fishers and rally locals to be the catalysts for change.
Directed by Nicole Gormley
Sunday June 11th | 8:15 pm
Forum – UC San Diego Park & Market / Virtual
Chile | 2023 | 28:00
Documentary | Short
In Corazón Salado by Patagonia Films, Patagonia Global Sport Activist Ramón Navarro joins with the Kawésqar—a traditionally nomadic Indigenous community who had their practices stripped from them during the colonization of Chilean Patagonia—in a fight for their homeland and ancestral waters. The salmon industry is creeping deeper and deeper into the region, polluting and destroying its wild and delicate ecosystem. For the locals, the fish no longer bite here, forcing the Kawésqar to stray farther from home to feed and support their families. Navarro connects with Leticia Caro and her father, Don Reinaldo, a traditional fisherman and elder, who show him the damaging effects of the salmon farms and the need to establish a marine protected area in the Kawésqar National Park. Along the way, they find common ground in their love for the sea.
Directed by Dani Casado
Friday June 9th | 7:30 pm
La Paloma Theater
USA | 2022 | 11:19
Documentary | Short
Directed by Jordan Miller
Friday June 9th | 5:00 pm
La Paloma Theater / Virtual
USA | 2023 | 8:35
Documentary | Short
Directed by Michael Stewart
Friday June 9th | 7:30 pm
Virtual
France | 2023 | 4:40
Narrative | Short
Chiara is standing there, alone with herself, until she meets Nero, her double and her opposite at the same time. This story is a deep immersion at the root of our origins, an ode to life.
Directed by Caroline Ragusa, Sylvain Bes
Friday June 9th | 4:00pm
Virtual
UK | 2022 | 22:29
Documentary | Short
‘Two Kinds of Water’, explores the lives of a family living in the Guet Ndar fishing community on Senegal’s north coast – a country whose name literally means ‘our boat’. The 5,500km coastline of West Africa, is home to some of the most diverse and dangerous fishing grounds in the world. It provides a livelihood to eight million people as skills are handed down from generation to generation, yet climate change, over-fishing and contested waters are producing new and deadly threats every day. “Two Kinds of Water” charts the unbreakable bond between a fisherman and his wife as they face unbearable challenges, fighting to keep their young family afloat in one of Africa’s most vulnerable fishing communities. A combination of deeply poetic voices and lyrical journeys vividly render the lives of ocean communities on the frontline of the climate crisis and the fishermen whose lives lay on the line each time they leave the shore.
Directed by Dan McDougall
Saturday June 10th | 1:30 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
Germany | 2022 | 18:00
Documentary | Short
Many myths and fairy tales revolve around whale sharks in Indonesia. They harbor the spirits of ancestors and save people from drowning. Everywhere they are a sign of good luck and prosperity; accordingly, throughout Indonesia, local traditional regulations prohibit people from catching or harming whale sharks. They are the only shark species in Indonesia that is also fully protected by law.
Rumor has it that some fishermen have a very special relationship with them. A team of underwater filmmakers and photographers step off the beaten path and take their cameras on a journey deep into an almost unknown region in Indonesia to discover this secret whale shark population, get up close and personal with the animals underwater, and tell a rare story of peaceful coexistence between humans and sharks. A story that we can take something away from.
Directed by Hendrik Sebastian Schmitt
Thursday June 8th | 7:00pm
MOPA / Virtual
USA | 2023 | 1:26:00
Documentary | Feature
Who Are the Marcuses? reconstructs the lives of Holocaust refugees Lottie and Howard Marcus, an unassuming couple from Great Neck, New York, who retired to a modest two-bedroom apartment in San Diego, California. Former dentist Howard passed away in 2014 at age 104, and Lottie died less than two years later. In 2016, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev announced that the Marcuses had given them over half a billion dollars: the largest single charitable donation to the State of Israel in its history. The film simultaneously traces the development of Israel’s vital water technology from pre-state to the present; how the Marcuses’ endowment has ensured continued leading-edge development in water science for not only the Israeli people, but the world as a whole; sets the family’s gift in geopolitical context; and explores both its impact and implications for regional peace through technology exchange.
Directed by Matthew Mishory
*Filmmaker in Attendance
Saturday June 10th | 6:05 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
UK | 2023 | 26:40
Animated | Short
A half hour family film based on the much loved picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Join the snail on the tail of a great big grey-blue humpback whale on her journey around the globe. In the unlikely friendship between an ambitious sea snail and a humpback whale, discover the power of the sea and the perils of swimming too close to the shore… Can the snail save the whale when he is beached in a secluded bay? A Christmas viewing treat for all the family from four-time Oscar-nominated producers Magic Light Pictures.
Directed by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon
Saturday June 10th | 5:15 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
USA | 2021 | 12:00
Animated | Short
When a university student struggling with an environmental studies assignment searches for inspiration for an assignment at an art gallery, she is magically transported into a painting and lands in 19th-century Japan. In Edo, today’s Tokyo, she witnesses a range of everyday sustainable practices––using ashes in the dyeing process, fertilizing fields with night soil, repurposing used kimonos into towels and rags––that helped the country overcome environmental collapse.
Directed by Hiroshi Yokota
Saturday June 10th | 6:00 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
IRAN | 2021 | 3:29
Animated | Short
It seems that not only was the beginning of the life of beings, but also the beginning of the whole world with water. With this idea we can pay more attention to the water and save it.
Directed by Mohammad Zare
Saturday June 10th | 11:30 pm
Digital Gym
USA | 2022 | 4:10
Animated | Short
A Polar Bear Story is a 3D animated short film that comments on climate change and how it is the primary threat to polar bears as the arctic warms and sea ice disappears. The story follows a young, playful, and mischievous polar bear cub whose playfulness puts him in harm’s way of melting sea ice.
Directed by Vanessa Nilsson
Saturday June 10th | 11:35 pm
Digital Gym
Uganda | 2022 | 1:53:00
Documentary | Feature
In Uganda’s 2021 presidential election, music star, activist and opposition leader Bobi Wine, together with his wife Barbie, rallies his people in a dangerous fight for freedom from President Museveni’s oppressive 35-year regime.
Directed by Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo
Friday June 9th | 1:35 pm
Virtual
Indonesia |2023 | 1:15:00
Documentary | Feature
The last indigenous people of the archipelagos of Sumatra: a culture on the verge of extinction – with the latest geopolitical developments, the destruction of their habitat reaches the point of no return. Smashing the hopes of thirty years of democratisation in Indonesia, Jakarta in relapse to authoritarian rule is enforcing deforestation in Mentawai.
In collaboration with investigative journalist Febrianti and indigenous foundations, our film portrays indigenous culture, history and resistance up to the most recent developments in geopolitical of Indonesia’s growing environmental degradation.
Directed by Joo Peter
Friday June 9th | 3:45
Virtual
France | 2023 | 52:00
Documentary | Feature
A lemon shark called Manoela grows up in the waters of Fernando do Noronha off the coast of Brazil. Her extraordinary senses allow her to detect scents, sounds and even the tiny electric fields of her prey. In particular, she specializes in a hunting technique that has only ever been observed in this spot: hunting sardines in the waves. When we look closer behind the breakers, we discover unsuspected alliances and unusual behaviors.
Directed by Bertrand Loyer
Friday June 9th | 8:00 pm
La Paloma Theater / Virtual
Austria | 2022 | 1:12:00
Documentary | Feature
Patrick recently experienced a life-changing event. In Dominica in 2019, he had a close encounter with a female sperm whale. She seemed to be curious about him, coming within touching distance, pulsing him with her sonar. Using stunning underwater footage, Patrick will explore the fascinating nature of the sperm whale, attempting to shine a light on its intelligence and complexity, as well as highlighting its current and past relationship with humankind. The film will also follow his personal journey and explore the psychology of a man who has sacrificed everything in his single-minded quest to connect with and understand the biggest creatures in the ocean.
Directed by Mark Fletcher
*Filmmaker in Attendance
Friday June 9th | 3:15 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
USA | 2021 | 1:22:00
Documentary | Feature
After years of surfing being illegal, a diehard group of Cuban surfers rises up against their government to legitimize their biggest passion. Havana Libre chronicles their fight in the face of political oppression, confronting borders and outdated ideologies along the way.
Directed by Corey McLean
* Filmmaker in Attendance
Saturday June 10th | 3:15 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
USA | 2022 | 1:20:19
Documentary | Feature
Follow the story of a disappearing, centuries-old tradition that encapsulates the delicate balance, and deep connections, between humanity and the natural world.
Kyung-Mi, Geum-Mi and Jeong-Mi Moon are three sisters, now in their sixties, Haenyeo “sea women”, taking only what they need from the sea one breath at a time. This film is an albert-certified (BAFTA), carbon-neutral production.
Directed by Jon Cleave, Lucy McIntosh
* Filmmaker in Attendance
Saturday June 10th | 7:00 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
UK | 2022 | 1:35:00
Documentary | Feature
Our planet is full of life. From vast oceans to wide-open skies, the diversity of life here seems infinite. But one of those here on earth has been changing the balance for all of its residents.
Yet this is a story of hope.
Meet the people and communities who are making a difference and showing us the way to a brighter, wilder future. Restoring our natural world and restoring our faith in humankind across Britain’s Wild Isles.
Directed by Jon Cleave
* Filmmaker in Attendance
Friday June 9th | 7:45 pm
La Paloma Theater / Virtual
USA | 2023 | 11:00
Documentary | Short
A muslim woman living her truth, surrounded by sharks. Out with the tide, held by the ocean; reclaiming her power.
Directed by Martina Trepczyk
Saturday June 10th | 1:30 pm
Digital Gym
USA | 2023 | 1:42:00
Narrative | Feature
Blueback showcases the extraordinary beauty of the world’s oceans and wildlife in an empowering coming of age story. The family-friendly film centre on Abby, a child who befriends a magnificent wild blue groper while diving. When Abby realises that the fish is under threat, she takes inspiration from her activist Mum, Dora, and takes on poachers to save her friend. There starts her life-long journey to save the world’s coral reefs.
Directed by Robert Connolly
* Filmmaker in Attendance
Friday June 9th | 12:45 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
USA | 2022 | 32:00
Documentary | Short
The story of FORCE BLUE’s Inaugural OCS (Ocean Conservation School), the Gold Star children who participated and the Special Operations Veterans who served as their instructors.
Directed by Robert Whitney
Filmmaker in Attendance
Saturday June 10th | 1:50 pm
Virtual
USA | 2022 | 22:00
Documentary | Short
What is the source of creation? Whether it’s the grandest cosmos or the smallest human idea, true creation arrives in moments of unexpected convergence— extraordinary synchronicities between space and time, science and art, music and mountains and sea. In Creation Theory, these raw elements converge in the Westfjords of Iceland, taking us on a journey from the interstellar birth of gravity and rhythm, to their ultimate human creative expression: surfer on wave, snowboarder on peak, and musician on stage.
Directed by Ben Sturgulewski
Friday June 9th | 5:00 pm
Virtual
UK | 2022 | 10:13
Documentary | Short
Luke Ellis is a builder-turned-farmer that has set up an innovative new business in the heart of Sheffield’s industrial quarter. Leaf + Shoot is an underground vertical bioponic farm built in a disused spring factory. His closed loop system takes the food waste from local restaurants, cafés and businesses in his community and uses organic cycling methods including worm farms and hot composting to grow micro-herbs and vegetables beneath the streets of Sheffield. We follow Luke on his inspirational journey to revolutionize the way we all think about urban farming.
Directed by Brett Chapman, Jordan Carroll
Saturday June 10th | 6:10 pm
Virtual
UK | 2021 | 16:45
Documentary | Short
In the estuary of Laguna, south of Brazil, there is a special group of Dolphins that are known to help the fisherman catch their favorite fish, the Mullet. They are called by these fishermen “The Good Dolphins” and they have been working together for the last 150 years. Through the eyes of the fisherman, we will immerse in their culture and understand their fight against the extinction of their unique friendship with the dolphins.
Directed by Pedro Furtado Rodrigues
Friday June 9th | 1:30 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
Kenya | 2022 | 5:00
Documentary | Short
Conservation impact is one that requires consistency, persistence and patience over time. Ssezi’s heart, mind and soul has been in the forest for fifty one years. He has managed a forest that has so far been a refuge for sixty Chimpanzees and is an important wildlife corridor between Budongo and Bungoma Forest. He takes you on a journey where he explains when he planted some of the trees, their names, and medicinal value.
Directed by Anthony Ochieng Onyango
Friday June 9th | 12:00 pm
Virtual
USA | 2022 | 21:31
Documentary | Short
Over 80% of the world’s oceans are unexplored. Pro surfer/scientist Cliff Kapono and the MEGA lab are trying to map the reefs at the best surf breaks on the planet. Using new technology, the spirit of adventure and the desire to engage local community members, the team quickly discovers the beauty of Fiji’s reefs.
Directed by Clifford Kapono
Friday June 9th | 12:00 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
USA | 2022 | 7:25
Documentary | Short
Emily Tianshi is a young woman striving to raise awareness and create solutions for the global water crisis. At age 13, Emily transformed her garage into a science lab to research San Diego’s unique Torrey Pine tree and uncover how the tree is able to produce its own source of moisture from the atmosphere, enabling its survival through years of severe drought in California.
Directed by Stephanie Wang-Beal
Thursday June 8th | 6:30 pm
MOPA
Canada | 2020 | 13:54
Documentary | Short
The Water Walker is a documentary-animation hybrid that illustrates the journey of an Indigenous youth climate activist, Autumn Peltier. Narrated by Indigenous Hollywood icon Graham Greene, The Water Walker is a stunning documentary-animation hybrid tracing the roots, passion and perseverance of leading Indigenous youth climate activist, Autumn Peltier.
Directed by James Burns
*Producer, Stevie Salas, in Attendance
Friday June 9th | 1:00 pm
Virtual
Guatemala | 2021 | 19:44
Narrative | Short
Paula is a teenager whose brother has died from an infection from contaminated water. So, to honor his brother’s name, he seeks to give talks in his community thanks to home visits, but his father does not agree. Something changes in Francisco, his father, the day Paula goes to the sink to wash clothes.
Directed by Gustavo Adolfo Salazar
Friday June 9th | 1:45 pm
Digital Gym / Virtual
France | 2021 | 36:45
Documentary | Short
From the conservation of the rainforest to the preservation of our oceans, The Green Wave emphasizes the community destiny between land and ocean and the great efforts some of us are deploying to incarnate the solution.
Directed by Emmanuel Bouvet