The HK-SF International Ocean Film Festival brings together a rich and diverse mix of international films to inspire, entertain and educate about the ocean we never get to experience. These films include information that can benefit many industries. Hong Kong’s main geographical asset is our ocean and it is often forgotten, even though it has amazing features, including more coral species than the entire Caribbean and it is home to one of Hong Kong’s biggest animals, the endangered Chinese White Dolphin.
Explore the deep blue seas. Support great local projects.
Films : http://www.oceanrecov.org | Communities : Hong Kong
Tickets : http://bit.ly/1kMJrBN | Trailer : http://bit.ly/1igxWhr
Tuesday 6 May (Stanley Sea School)
Outdoor showing at the Stanley Sea School with a social swim/water sports time pre-film, then BBQ and followed by open-air film (indoor in the gym in the case of poor weather)
DETAILS: http://on.fb.me/1iOH038
Defeating Oceans Seven (Rouven Blankenfeld, Austria – 52 min – winner of the Adventure Award at SFIOFF) There are seven ocean passages that ultra open water swimmers dream of crossing. After the English Channel, Catalina, Gibraltar, Molokai, New Zealand’s Cook Strait and the Irish Sea, our hero’s last – and coldest – is Japan’s Tsugaru Strait between Honshu and Hokkaido. Marathon swimmer Steven Redmond attempts to conquer this most difficult passage and be the first to complete all seven.
MANA KAI – Spirit of the Ocean (Pasha Reshikov, USA – 5 min) Explore the relationship of humans and the ocean, the issues of spirit of the oceans and its response to the pollution habits of the humans, told through the story of a native man and a fish trapped in a plastic bottle.
It’s Everybody’s Ocean (Atsuko Ouirk, USA – 29 min) Every year the inhabitants of all ages on the tiny island of Ikema, Japan, known for its stunning coral reefs, struggle to collect and dispose of 725 tons of marine debris washed ashore from other countries.
GET FREE TICKETS —
We’ve got 2 sets of 2 tickets (adults or students) for the 2 first correct answers to the following question:
What action did the HK Government take in 2013 to help improve the health of our ocean ?
Include the film date in your email to: hksfoceanfilmfest14@heartbeat.com.hk
Wednesday 7 May (Pacific Place Three)
Co-hosted with the Royal Geographical Society at 6/F, Pacific Place Three screening BlackFish (on Orca’s in Captivity) and a local short movie on Hoi Ha Wan with local director present for Q&A
DETAILS: http://on.fb.me/1igynZg
Bimbo (Vincent Gargiulo, USA – 3 min) With edgy editing and a surreal score, this tragic tale profiles the Pacific Pilot Whale whose captive stardom at Marineland of the Pacific triggers a descent into depression and psychosis. Launching his 6,000-pound bulk through an observation window makes a powerful statement.
California Hope Spots (Kip Evans, USA – 19 min) California boasts the first and largest network of Marine Protected Areas, stretching along our coastline from Oregon to Mexico. Through these living laboratories, scientists, fishermen and conservationists work together to manage marine resources and find a balance that respects the values and interests of all stakeholders.
Blackfish (Gabriela Cowperthwaite,Iceland – 83 min) This documentary explores how long-held misconceptions and harmful living conditions may be causing orca whales to lash out violently toward their trainers. Several cases of death and mutilation are researched, leading to some uncomfortable questions about how we choose to keep and display these large and very intelligent animals.
GET FREE TICKETS —
We’ve got 1 set of 2 student tickets for the 2 first correct answers to the following question:
What man made product are turtles likely to mistake for food in the ocean?
Include the film date in your email to: hksfoceanfilmfest14@heartbeat.com.hk
Thursday 8 May (Royal HK Yacht Club)
Movie screening at the Royal HK Yacht Club, Causeway Bay
DETAILS: http://on.fb.me/1uohsNI
The Whale Story (Tess Martin, USA 4 min – winner of the Short Film Award at SFIOFF) The momentary, intense connection between a female humpback whale entangled in multiple nets and lines, and a group of swimmers who work to free her.
Twenty-Eight Feet, Life on a Little Wooden Boat ( Kevin A Fraser, Canada – 9 min) We all dream of it, but here is someone who’s doing it. Abandoning the luxuries of life in search of serenity and happiness, our adventurer sails his craft among the Bahama archipelago. So beautiful and so simple, this film is almost as good as being there.
Return Flight (Kevin White, USA – 24 min) Even today, the effects of long-banned DDT pollution persist in the waters off Southern California, making the reintroduction of the bald eagle to its native Channel Islands sometimes touch and go. Narrated by Peter Coyote.
Ocean Men: Extreme Dive (Bob Talbot, USA – 30 min) Free divers reach extreme ocean depths just by holding their breath, foregoing the use of any breathing apparatus. Two divers attempt to break the sport’s depth record in their own ways. Each has a different background, training method and philosophy. This film combines beautiful underwater imagery with the tension of a life-and-death challenge.
Losing Nemo (Pepijn Schroeijers, Douwe van der Werf, Netherlands- 6 min) A timely, animated tale about industrial overfishing, misguided politics, by-catch concerns and the disappearance of large fish. Imagine a future without any fish in the ocean.
GET FREE TICKETS —
We’ve got 2 sets of 2 tickets (adults or students) for the 2 first correct answers to the following question:
How many years has the HK-SF International Ocean Film Festival been running?
Include the film date in your email to: hksfoceanfilmfest14@heartbeat.com.hk
Saturday 10 May (Shek O)
Open-air surfing movie at Shek O Back Beach
DETAILS: http://on.fb.me/RjII0k
The Sunnydale Kids (Adam Warmington, USA – 4 min – winner of the Golden Gate Award at SFIOFF) A trip to the ocean from the often very dangerous streets of San Francisco’s Sunnydale housing project can be a lot longer than the few miles shown on a map. Some surfers help a group of Sunnydale kids make that trip and not only see the ocean maybe for the first time buy joyously catch a few waves when they get there.
Jamaican Reef Rescue (Allison Barrat, USA – 24 min) A documentary on how decades-long problems caused by overfishing, pollution, and the effects of devastating hurricanes can be reversed when conservationists and fishermen work together. The first-ever fish sanctuary in Jamaica is a success, restoring both the beauty and the marine life of coral reefs.
GET FREE TICKETS —
We’ve got 2 sets of 2 tickets (adults or students) for the 2 first correct answers to the following question:
How many plastic bottles are dumped in Hong Kong landfills every day?
Include the film date in your email to: hksfoceanfilmfest14@heartbeat.com.hk
Sunday May 11 (HK International School)
Tai Tam, Football Pitch (BYO Picnic/drinks) – outdoor (indoor if poor weather), “Planet Ocean”, “Survival – Palau”
Outdoor screening at HKIS (indoor in the case of poor weather) and Simon Holliday, who will be making a solo crossing swim from HK to Macau on May 24, will be present with a few words. 50% of ticket sales go to the HKIS Wave Riders Club.
DETAILS: http://on.fb.me/1rTIVCW
Serendipity (Simon Lamb, Australia – 64 min) The word Serendipity means the unlikely and unintended discovery of good fortune; it is a beneficial accident or a cool suprise. By the most Serendipitous chain of events Tony found himself shipwrecked on a deserted island in the middle of the Indian ocean, on the then-unknown Maldives.
Ain’t No Fish (Tom Gasek/Miki Cash, USA/UK 3 min – winner of the Directors Award at SFIOFF) A short stop-motion animation played to Hoagy Carmichael’s eponymous music by a three-piece band of Arctic seals. From below the surface and in the background, the long-term effects of garbage and oil pollution balance the upbeat soundtrack, to deliver an entertaining yet ironic message.
The Ghost Below (TruthBeTold, USA – 4 min) Local artists Richard and Judith Lang have created an art experience from one unsuspecting whale’s deathly meals! This hulking and thought-provoking sculpture, made from a portion of the 450lbs of ‘host nets and trash found in the belly of a dead sperm whale necropsied by The Marine Mammal Center, is just one heartbreaking tale of what can happen to marine life when humans set their garbage adrift. You’ll see, touch, learn and be inspired to make the ocean a healthier place for all.
Survival – Palau
GET FREE TICKETS —
We’ve got 2 sets of 2 tickets (adults or students) for the 2 first correct answers to the following question:
What year did the HK Government introduce a tariff on plastic shopping bags?
Include the film date in your email to: hksfoceanfilmfest14@heartbeat.com.hk
Support conservation in Hong Kong — community groups