Europe's most important ocean festival, the International Ocean Film Tour, arrives at the emblematic natural auditorium of Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote on November 7 and 8 with a Canary Islands story headlining its world tour. In this Volume 11, which puts the Canary Islands in the spotlight, the island of volcanoes will be able to learn the details of 'Nika, the Tropical Pilot Whale' with two of its protagonists as main guests, the director of the Canary Islands short film 'Nika, the Tropical Pilot Whale' José Hernández and the co-director/protagonist Felipe Ravina.
‘Nika, the tropical pilot whale’ brings this volume of the festival to life, delving into a topic of profound relevance in the Canary Islands, denouncing the system that has led the archipelago to live threatened by tourism overexploitation, pollution, and the plundering of resources by a productive and economic model that preys on the territory. The short film, a finalist for the Fugaz Awards, the ‘Goyas’ of short films, will feature its director and co-director and protagonist to share the story behind Ravina's special bond with Nika.
Other special guests who will be joining us at this edition of the festival are Dr. García-Allut and Caylon La Mantia. The former is a professor of Social Anthropology at the University of La Coruña (Galicia), professor of the UNESCO Chair of Sustainable Coastal Development, and was a representative on marine issues of the Steering Committee of IUCN-Spain and a member of the international IUCN. Dr. García-Allut participated in two successful cases of co-governance of the Marine Reserves of "Os Miñarzos" (2007) and "Ría de Cedeira" (2009), global examples of sustainable fishing and co-governance. Also participating will be the director of the British-produced documentary Kelp!, with a background in art, activism, and adventure, who began her film career while studying for a degree in Marine Photography and Natural History at Falmouth University.
In addition, José Hernández, Felipe Ravina, Dr. García-Allut, and Caylon La Mantia will participate in various complementary activities of this edition's program, which is enriched by everything from an informative talk to a screening adapted for schoolchildren, participation in a discussion about marine reserves and artisanal fishing, and the organization of several coastal cleanups in collaboration with two local NGOs, Lanzarote Limpia Lanzarote and the Pastinaca Underwater Activities Club.
The International Ocean Film Tour, which sold out weeks ago for its two screenings (November 7 and 8 at 7:00 p.m.), arrives in Lanzarote after passing through some twenty cities such as Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Girona, Santander, Gijón, Vigo, Madrid, Seville, Cádiz, Palma de Mallorca, Menorca, Bilbao, Lisbon, and Ibiza, to continue with a tour that includes almost 300 events throughout Europe.
With five short films selected from hundreds of options and coming from three continents, the International Ocean Film Tour is strengthening its commitment to the SDGs and citizen awareness, using audiovisual culture as a fundamental instrument to contribute to the achievement of different Sustainable Development Goals.
Europe's largest ocean festival arrives in Lanzarote with 'Trilogy New Wave', an American production that tells the story in the first person of the world's best surfers (Ethan Ewing, Griffin Colapinto and Seth Moniz) who will experience friendship and passion for the sport, but also rivalry and competition. The last and most risky of the challenges will take viewers into the shoes of former Paralympic athlete Angela Madsen in 'Row of Life'.
For its part, the documentary ‘Kelp!’ opens a new window of opportunity for the planet, in a British production that shows the powerful potential of kelp, a seaweed that could revolutionize agriculture, fishing, and biofuels. The thin line of life of seven beats per minute of the world record freediver Jessea Lu marks ‘7 Beats per Minute’, which explores the limits of the human body.
The International Ocean Film Tour, through five life stories with a message, told intimately, seeks to stir emotions and consciences. Protecting the wild and exciting oceans, which are both a habitat and a fundamental element of life, and which are in danger of extinction, is the basis of stories that inspire, without actors and in the first person, that seek to bring different realities closer to understand and reflect on the protection of the sea.
This contest, originally from Germany by the production company Moving Adventures GmbH, is promoted and distributed in Spain, Andorra, and Portugal by Kinema Producciones SL with the sponsorship for this tour in Spain by the Cabildo de Lanzarote, within the project ‘Lanzarote: the different island’ and through the Sociedad de Promoción Exterior de Lanzarote, and the collaboration of Lanzarote Film Comission, the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers (CACT) of Lanzarote, several NGOs such as Sea Sheperd Global, Surfrider Foundation, the entity Lanzarote Limpia Lanzarote, and the Pastinaca Underwater Activities Club, among others.
