Alaska Oceans Film Festival Program
Friday March 9th
The Silverbow Backroom
7:00pm
Breathe (2 min) - Steve Smith - Half the oxygen we breathe comes from the oceans. This time-lapse recording of marine environments around the world gives viewers the physical sensation of how vital our oceans are to our most basic human function.
Hawaiian Showers (5 min) - Bryce Groark - Astonishing look at coral reef creatures that feed in the most unlikely of places. These feeders give dental hygiene a whole new meaning.
Henry Wood Elliott: Defender of the Fur Seal (26 min) - NOAA Ocean Services In Alaska’s Pribilof Islands , the end of the 19th century spelled the end of the fur seal – hunted to near extinction. Henry Wood Elliott used his illustrations of northern life and basic tools as a zoologist to call attention to the dwindling population.
Whale Sharks of Holbox (7 min) - Mike Wham - The islanders of Holbox, Mexico, facing a dwindling stock of fish, successfully convert their economy to ecotourism. In doing so, they help protect the world’s largest fish, the Whale Shark.
Birthplace of the Winds (24 min) - Jon Bowermaster - National Geographic explorer, Jon Bowermaster, leads an expedition into one of Alaska’s most remote corners. Seeking to kayak among five volcanic islands and climb their snowcapped peaks, the group follows in the paddle-strokes of the greatest kayakers ever, the Aleuts.
Surfer’s Healing (6:45 min) - Evan Stone - The heart warming tale of one couple’s search to find peace in their autistic son Isaiah’s challenging life. A chance attempt at having Isaiah catch waves on a surfboard has turned into a national movement.
Papa Tortuga (19 min) - Rob Wilson - One man on a rural beach in Mexico has dedicated his life to saving the Lora sea turtle. His efforts have not only played a key role in the restoration of this nearly extinct species, he has also educated thousands of children in the process.
Bering Sea (6 min) - John Whittier - Stunning film montage of life aboard a Bering Sea crab fishing boat. You’ll never question the cost of crab again.
Saturday March 10th
The Silverbow Backroom
7:00pm
We’re On the Brink (3:36 min) - Drew McKeen - Breathtaking short about the choices we make and their global implications.
Mad Mac and the Flat Ugly Snail (25 mins) - Bill Morris & Kate Bradbury (Mature Themes) Mac MacIntosh, a loner, eventually realized that to preserve his isolated life as a diver for paua, New Zealand’s abalone, he couldn’t continue to work alone. So he formed a paua divers’ cooperative. Goodbye middlemen, hello sudden wealth. Mac’s openness in talking about how that wealth changed him and his idyllic life gives this film its structure and its heart.
The Old Man and the Fish (6 min) - David Bokser - The most existentially-sublime, six-minute, computer-generated fish film you’ll ever see.
Bering Voices (10 min) - John Hocevar - Bering Voices uses first person accounts and striking wildlife footage to tell the story of Alaska natives and their struggle to survive in a rapidly changing environment. As industrial fisheries and global warming contribute to depletion of marine life that have been key components of native diets for thousands of years, fishermen are traveling farther and farther offshore in search of food that was once plentiful right off the beach.
Free-diving into the Blue (6:45 min) - Evan Stone - Host Johnny Bell takes us into the world of Free-diving in beautiful Kona, Hawaii. Going down as much 350 feet, these daring Free-divers push it to the limit as they go for their personal best.
Favela Surf Dreams (7 min) - Dean Hamer - Escolinha de Bodyboarding da Rocinha is a surfing school situated on a beach in Rio de Janeiro, downhill from one of the most dangerous slums in South America. With a pair of flippers, a foam board, and good waves, kids are taught to overcome adversity by focusing on school – both regular school and bodyboarding school, where big air and ripping are the highlights.
Fisher Poets (45 min) - Jennifer Winston - Features Alaskan and northwest fisher folk who gather in Astoria, Oregon yearly to express the joy and toil of their profession in verse. The poems are set against a backdrop of interviews highlighting the current state of small scale fishing.
Bering Sea (6 min) - John Whittier - Stunning film montage of life aboard a Bering Sea crab fishing boat. You’ll never question the cost of crab again.
