International Ocean Film Tour

Ojai Film Festival and Ojai Valley Land Conservancy present
the International Ocean Film Tour with screenings August 26

Saturday afternoon film and panel at the Ojai Art Center and
a special evening film tour and reception outdoors at the Mob Shop

Two events focused on the ocean, its beauty and perils, will take place on Saturday, August 26th when the Ojai Film Festival and Ojai Valley Land Conservancy present the highly acclaimed International Ocean Film Tour. For the past four years, the tour has brought a collection of the best international short films focused on the sea through the adventures and exploration of all oceans on the planet.

During the afternoon at the Ojai Art Center, will be a screening of Chasing Coral, winner of the Audience Award for documentary at Sundance. This film brilliantly shows the coral beds of the world’s oceans in all their wavy phosphorescent delicacy and flesh-bulb splendor. They’re like flowers, brains, suction cups, and tubular orifices. A lot of them come in sparkly psychedelic colors that look too wild to fit in a rainbow.

Then the same coral beds are viewed after they’ve expired, often due to the effect called bleaching: vast stretches of stone-gray fossil, the former tentacles reaching up like dead fingers. Anyone who has been snorkeling has probably encountered coral graveyards like these, but only now does it occur to you that you’re seeing not undersea “rock formations” but skeletons. Corpses. Corals may have the placidity of plants, but in fact they’re self-feeding animals. They are — literally — the squishy bedrock of life.

A panel discussion of experts will follow the screening.

Viewing of Chasing Coral and expert panel discussion
Saturday, August 26, 3 to 5 pm
Ojai Art Center, 113 S Montgomery St, Ojai, CA 93023
Suggested donation of $15
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS

In the evening, the event moves to the Mob Shop for an outdoor reception followed by a series of short films covering sailing, action water sports, plastic ocean pollution, and diving under the ice. Those films are: Shorebreak, The Legacy, Attractive Distractions, and others. All of the film shorts have received critical acclaim for their cinematography and message. Click here to view trailers.

Outdoor reception and viewing of International Ocean Film Tour Series of seven short films
Reception begins at 7 pm—film starts at dusk
Mob Shop, 110 W Ojai Ave, Ojai, CA 93023
No-host bar and reception followed by the Ocean Film Tour
Tickets are $15
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS

“The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet,” said Maryse Gartner, Ojai Film Festival Executive Director. “It’s hard to imagine, but about 97 percent of the Earth’s water can be found in our oceans. Let’s learn as much as we can about this precious resource from the Ocean Film Tour, a worldwide sensation. We are pleased to present this day with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.”