The ocean film festival, which is number 1 in Europe, the International Ocean Film Tour, will stop at Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote in a special event within the calendar of its national and international tour of the festival. It will arrive this Saturday, July 27, at the spectacular Lanzarote auditorium, where it has already 'Sold Out' for another year.
As such, the festival's stop on the island of volcanoes will be a global meeting point with exceptional guests such as 42-time world champion Bjorn Dunkerbeck, from the documentary 'Born to Windsurf', Fran Gonzáles and Yenia Expósito with the film 'Havana Libre', the CEO of Moving Adventures GmbH, the German production company that owns the festival, Joachim Hellinger, and Captain Alex Cornelissen, CEO of Sea Shepherd Global, who will be the special guest of the night and is participating again with a short documentary in the program of this new installment "'Return to Antarctica'.
In the natural auditorium of Jameos, Lanzarote becomes a unique event in the tour of Spain, in which it visits cities such as Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Málaga, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Tarragona, Santander, San Sebastián, Gijón, Coruña, Madrid, Seville, Cádiz, Palma de Mallorca, Menorca or Santa Cruz de Tenerife, among the 270 events held in 18 countries. On this occasion, the IOFT arrives with five short documentary films from four continents, and a trip to one of the most remote places on the planet with 'The return to Antarctica', which will be discussed by the special guest, Captain Alex Cornelissen.
Cornelissen joined Sea Shepherd Global in 2002 as a cook, and since then has traveled the world for more than 20 years dedicated to this global movement. Since January 2014, Captain Cornelissen has ensured that Sea Shepherd continues to grow and that the Neptune Navy expands, giving presentations around the world to highlight the work of Sea Shepherd and inspire others to join the fight.
In 'Return to Antarctica', the 'ocean lovers' of Lanzarote will be able to enjoy the Sea Sepherd team in action, accompanying the fleet on its trip to Antarctica to denounce the massive overexploitation of krill, which is the main source of food for whales, penguins, seals and seabirds. Industrial fishing is threatening not only these species, but also the entire Antarctic ecosystem with an activity that is completely legal, despite posing a risk to the survival of the entire marine chain of the continent.
In addition, the event will feature the CEO of Moving Adventures, the German production company that owns the festival, Joachim Hellinger, and several of the protagonists of the short films, such as the 42-time world champion, Bjørn Dunkerbeck, who has become an ambassador for the Canary Islands, taking the islands and his passion for windsurfing around the world with 'Born to windsurf'.
Also present will be the protagonists who inspire the poster for this edition. Frank, Yaya, Yenia and Joan Pablo bring the public closer to one of the most honest and loyal battles for equality, freedom, sport and human rights, in the short film 'Havana Libre' in which they tell their tireless battle for the legalization of surfing in Cuba and the collective movement that has awakened the illegal subculture of surfers on the island.
In 2024, the festival features five short documentaries from four continents, in original version with subtitles, with first-person stories produced in South Africa, Austria, the United States and Cuba, on a journey to the wildest seas and the most radical landscapes on the planet. The festival takes on the challenge of building a society based on love, respect and defense of the environment, with current issues included in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Circular Economy.
The International Ocean Film Tour raises a social reflection through the ice water swimmer Melissa Kegler, who will push her body to the limit in the challenge of being the first American to travel two kilometers in waters at temperatures below five degrees without a wetsuit in 'Ice mermaid'; while the short film 'Older than trees' will immerse viewers in the most unknown sea to discover ancestral species of sharks and manta rays that still live in the seas and have been in them for more than 400 million years.
Diving for two and a dinner to enjoy Lanzarote
The ocean festival will give attendees the opportunity to enjoy unforgettable experiences with special raffles together with entities and companies from the islands. Among all the tickets sold, Buceo Norte Gran Canaria will distribute among the lucky ones four double vouchers (for two people) for conscious diving experiences with photos. This is an interpreted diving route (only for certified divers), a diving baptism or an apnea baptism, which viewers can win by participating with their ticket.
In addition, courtesy of the Cabildo through the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers (CACT), viewers can also win two meals for two at the Farmer's Monument, among other surprises and novelties.
This festival, originally from Germany, through the German production company Moving Adventures GmbH, is promoted and distributed in Spain and Andorra by Kinema Producciones SL, with the sponsorship of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, through its Lanzarote Tourism office, Lanzarote Film Commission and the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers (CACT), as well as national and international collaborating entities such as Top Time Eventos, Buceo Norte Gran Canaria, the specialized diving magazine Aqua and the non-profit associations Lanzarote Limpia Lanzarote and Sea Shepherd Global.
For more information with schedules, cities, program, and all the details of the festival can be found on its website.
