2025 International Ocean Film Festival

Join Florida Oceanographic Society for the 2025 International Ocean Film Festival. Experience the power, beauty, and mystery of the ocean—and leave inspired to be a voice for our planet’s most vital ecosystems.

The screening time for this selection of 7 films is approx. 100 minutes and will be followed by remarks from Florida Oceanographic's Executive Director & CEO, Mark Perry. 

This event is part of the Florida Tour of the International Ocean Film Foundation's 22nd annual film festival. 

Purchase your tickets HERE or in person at The Lyric Theatre box office. 

Film Selections:

Caleb - Beyond the Bite   Nicola Gerrard | South Africa | 7 min

Years after having lost his leg to a shark, Caleb confronts his disability, his vulnerability, and his fears, and explores his paradoxically deepening connection with the ocean– and with sharks. Now he must choose between a self-image as victim, or survivor. In swimming among them, he experiences a paradigm shift, recognizing his place in the world.

Footprints on Katmai    Max Romey | USA | 22 min

Take this creative journey with artist and filmmaker Max Romey who  retraces his grandmother’s footsteps to Katmai years after she journeyed there to sketch the pristine Alaskan wilderness. Rather than sketching  the gorgeous scenes - the bears, moose, wolves, glaciers and mountains - as his grandmother once did, Romey feels compelled to sketch an endless collection of shoes that he and his expedition mates find while removing plastic from local beaches.

 Immersive   Rohan Thomas | UK | 23 minutes

Oceanographers descend 8,000 feet to the bottom of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to study hydrothermal vents. Life as we understand it should not  exist here – within perpetual darkness, engulfed in toxic minerals, and under extreme heat and pressure. And yet it does. An ancient biosphere thrives with otherworldly organisms that offer extraordinary clues into   the origin of life on Earth and beyond.

The Human Side of Plastic, Babacar Thiaw   Andrew Lynch, Ben Ayers, Rush Sturges |   USA | 16 min

Rooted in his love for the ocean, Babacar Thiaw, founder of Senegal’s first zero-waste restaurant, turned his passion and dedication into action, creating a movement reaching beyond the coastline of his hometown in Dakar, Senegal. A picturesque, captivating short film  filled with inspiration and hope for our planet.  *Subtitles 

The Mother of Diamonds - Kimberlite    Alexander Benedik | Austria | 6 min  | SHORTS AWARD 

Filmed in Eastern Greenland (part of an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark) free diver Anna von Bötticher ventures beneath the Arctic ice in search of Kimberlite— a rare igneous rock that contains diamonds and forms in vertical structures known as Kimberlite Pipes.  This visually intriguing film offers a glimpse into the frozen depths.

 Saving Seagrass    Robert Boyd | USA | 6 min

Filmmaker Robert Boyd documents the importance of seagrass by bringing us to the underwater nursery in the estuaries of Mobile Bay, Alabama. We learn of the dependence on healthy beds of seagrass for sea creatures of all sizes, from manatees to tiny seahorses. We understand how rapid growth is challenging this fragile ecosystem, and what we can do to help save it for future generations to enjoy.

  Souls   Ian Mun | Singapore | 12 min

Rarely do you get six world renowned ocean legends in the same room and on the same panel, but suggest a dive trip and they will be on that boat. Inspiring stories from award-winning underwater photographers  on their first experience diving into the ocean, changes they have seen in their lifetime, and yet, they remain hopeful for future generations.