PRESS RELEASES

1 April 2024 - San Francisco, CA, The 21st Annual International Ocean Film Festival will commence with the premiere of "Blue Carbon: Nature's Hidden Power." Directed by Nicolas Brown and featuring Jayda Guy, the documentary explores coastal ecosystems' role in carbon sequestration. It screens on April 12 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre and airs nationally on CNN on April 21, coinciding with Earth Day.

20 December 2023 --  San Francisco, CA:  Celebrating “21 years of saving the world’s oceans, one film at a time,” San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) is honoring this year’s heroines of the sea at its annual benefit, Thursday evening March 14 at the Golden Gate Club in the San Francisco Presidio (135 Fisher Loop).  This year’s Ocean Champions are Daniela Fernandez, Founder & CEO of Sustainable Ocean Alliance and Jennifer Stock, Education & Outreach Coordinator Greater Farallones / Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. 

22 March 2023  - San Francisco, CA:  the 20th Annual International Ocean Film Festival has announced this year’s award winners in categories including Conservation, Ocean Sports, Female Filmmaker and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  The 20th annual Festival runs April 13 – 16 at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason and San Rafael’s Smith Theatre.  All told, there are 42 films representing 17 countries. Tickets to the entire festival are on sale online www.intloceanfilmfest.org

17 February 2023 --  San Francisco, CA:  San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org) has announced its slate of films for the 20th annual Festival, April 13 – 16 taking place at San Francisco’s Cowell Theatre at Fort Mason: 33 films representing 11 countries.

8 February 2022 - San Francisco, CA: After two years of battering COVID waves, attendees to this year’s 19th Annual International Ocean Film Festival will hear ocean waves as they walk into San Francisco’s Cowell Theater at Fort Mason, April 7 – 10 for the first in-person event since 2019.

23 February 2021 – San Francisco, CA: It is said that the sound of waves has a salutary impact on the human condition, and never more have the ocean’s healing embrace been more needed.

3 December 2020 - San Francisco, CA.  It seems fitting that Cristina Mittermeier who PBS’ Nova hailed for “changing the world one photograph at a time” should be the recipient of this year’s “Ocean Champion Award” from the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival whose motto is, “Saving the world’s oceans, one film at time.” 

24 March 2020 - San Francisco, CA: The International Ocean Film Festival often called “Sundance for the Ocean” will host a very special “Global Online Audience Award” for its Student Film Competition submissions.

4 March 2020 - San Francisco, CA: The International Ocean Film Festival (www.intloceanfilmfest.org), often called “The Sundance of Ocean Films” and host of the largest gathering of its type in the world, has announced a postponement of this year's 17th annual event, originally slated for March 12 - 15 at San Francisco's Cowell Theatre and other venues throughout the Bay Area.

5 February 2020 - San Francisco, CA: “Far and away, the greatest threat to the ocean, and thus to ourselves, is ignorance,” Dr. Sylvia Earle once remarked: “But we can do something about that.”

17 January 2019 - San Francisco, CA: In 2017 “A single ship captivated millions of Canadians and captured Canada’s promise,” remarked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “amplifying the voices of youth and Indigenous peoples, and connecting Canadians and communities all across the country.”

15 January 2019 - San Francisco, CA: From the open seas to the Great Lakes, San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival continues its mission of saving and educating about our marine heritage.

17 September 2018 - San Francisco, CA: To the Romans, the Mediterranean was Mare Nostrum – “Our Sea.”

2 July 2018 – San Francisco, CA: “It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life,” said Rachel Carson author of the iconic and prescient book, The Sea Around Us.

27 February 2018 - San Francisco, CA: Not to be upstaged by the Oscars, the San Francisco-based International Ocean Film Festival has announced the 10 winning films for its highly coveted annual awards.

20 December 2017 - San Francisco, CA: What would you do when your doctor tells you your leg will be amputated in half an hour?

23 August 2017 - San Francisco, CA: Beginning September 1, student filmmakers from around the world are encouraged to submit their works that inspire others to love and respect the ocean.

26 July 2017 - San Francisco, CA: Call it a green-friendly business decision set in stone – actually, in concrete. After viewing a film sponsored by San Francisco’s International Ocean Film Festival (www.oceanfilmfest.org), the last sand mining company in the United States has decided to close, a direct impact of the film – Sand Wars directed by Denis Delestrac – and the Festival’s environmental impact and advocacy.

1 July 2017 - San Francisco, CA: “How inappropriate to call this planet Earth,” opined legendary author Arthur C. Clarke, “when it is quite clearly ocean.” For 15 years, the International Ocean Film Festival has been bringing back the focus to the 75% of our habitat that is indeed, water.