program 2011

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

OPENING NIGHT FILMMAKERS RECEPTION AND SCREENING: 6:30-10:00pm
Mix and mingle with filmmakers and party with the sharks at Aquarium of the Bay before moving next door to Theatre 39 to view four amazing films.

Yao Ming — Shark Fin Soup PSA

(USA), Kevin Donovan, 30 secs
I don’t know about you, but I always take any advice I get from someone who is seven feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds. ––SJPH

The Krill is Gone

(USA), Jeffrey Bost & Matt Briggs, 4 mins
This wacky animated adventure brings comic relief to the unfunny dangers of an increasingly acidic ocean. Crustaceans and corals cannot form shells needed to survive. Jellyfish love the setup, though, and celebrity look-and-sound-alikes weigh in on the issue – “Al Bacore,” most conspicuously. –– MJS

Sex Under the Sea

(Belgium), Etienne Verhaegen, 52 mins
A sea lion bull can spend 99 percent of his courting efforts cuddling, not surprising when you realize he must attend to 20 females. It is exhausting, though, and leaves him little time to pass on his genes before being replaced by a younger bull. As this film’s spectacular and sometimes graphic cinematography shows, underwater suitors, from whales to manta rays, are masters of acrobatic moves and the delicate timing often demanded of the mating act. ––SJPH

Sanctuary in the Sea

(USA), Bob Talbot, 18 mins
Stunning imagery and an original score by the Mermen blend with the perspective of Farallones’ diver Ron Elliott, as he ponders his life with the sea, and the future of our oceans. Witness the transformation from over-exploited hunting ground to protected sanctuary. White sharks, blue whales, and a quarter-million seabirds co-star. ––MJS

Thursday, March 10, 2011

7:00pm – Program 2

Yao Ming — Shark Fin Soup PSA

(USA), Kevin Donovan, 30 secs
I don’t know about you, but I always take any advice I get from someone who is seven feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds. ––SJPH

Landscapes at the World’s End – Arctic

(New Zealand), Richard Sidey, 15 mins
This lyrical celebration of life at the top of the world reflects the frigid beauty of the sea, the sky, and the living ice. Northern Lights shimmer with otherworldly fire, giant humpback whales glide through freezing seas, and polar bears stalk seals at breathing holes (offering some unique photo perspectives, including fuzzy bear butts). Gorgeous cinematography and original music create a mystical touch. – MJS

La Pesca Vivencial*

(Ecuador), Chris McMorrow and Mark Petruniak, 11 mins
For the fishermen of the Galapagos, fishing is a family tradition, not working in tourism. How to sustain both their fisheries and their way of life when faced with outside boats and new catch limits is an evolving process for the islands’ fishing cooperatives. ––SJPH

Keiko: The Untold Story*

(USA), Theresa Demarest, 74 mins
In 1979, a young orca calf was captured off the coast of Iceland and named Keiko. Sold to the marine park industry, he spends more than twenty years in captivity. After becoming “the most famous whale in the world,” great efforts are made to allow him to be the first orca ever returned to the wild. The Untold Story is his journey back to freedom. ––SH

Friday, March 11, 2011

1:00pm – Program 3: International Marine Protected Areas

A Wave of Change

(USA), Kip Evans, 10 mins
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) safeguard entire ecosystems, dotting California’s coastline like a string of pearls. Fish grow 70% larger in these “no take” zones and produce more offspring that go to repopulate unprotected areas. Bounty inside these reserves spills over to seed new life in surrounding waters. Can these areas become connected to create a continuous MPA along the entire west coast of North America? ––DB

Loretanos: Diseñando el Futuro del Mar
(Designing the Ocean’s Future)*

(Mexico), Ana Salceda, 19 mins
Set where ocean kisses desert, Loreto is a precious jewel, known to some as “the aquarium of the world.” A collection of small islands along the gulf side of the Baja coastline, Loreto Bay National Park was the outcome of citizen demand to protect the environment. As this story illustrates, you can keep the local fishermen, conservationists and tourists happy along a coastline that had been ravaged by overfishing. ––DB

The Baja Wave Document

(USA), Chris Figler, 33 mins
The promoters said: “We are developing in order to conserve,” making George Orwell proud. In fact, it was a colossal land speculation scheme (Escalera Nautica) for coastal developments and marinas that would run the entire length of Mexico’s Baja peninsula and depended on taking advantage of remote and politically powerless villages. Surfers and local fisherman fight back to preserve the contact with the ocean at the core of their lives. ––SJPH

Marine Protected Areas: Panel Discussion

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have become a vital tool for habitat and species conservation protection worldwide. Within the United States, the federal government has created over 300 individual MPAs for fishery management, conservation, and cultural heritage purposes.

At the state level, California is currently engaged in a historic effort to implement a statewide network of MPAs. In Mexico, efforts have been made to help protect several new areas in recent years, including the establishment of a Whale Shark Biosphere, and a deep-water hydrothermal vent community in the Gulf of California. Despite these advances, less than 1% of the world’s ocean is protected.

Join a distinguished group of experts from the United States and Mexico, as they discuss the role of community-based support for establishing MPAs within and outside of the U.S., the role of the fishing community, monitoring and enforcement of the areas in times of limited resources, and the long-term value of MPAs to local communities.

4:00pm – Program 4

Death to Lionfish

(USA), Randy Olson, 1 min
The beautiful, ostentatious and voracious lionfish has emerged as one of the most destructive forces on coral reefs. Maybe the solution is to eat them. ––KH

One River

(Mexico, USA), Ryan Miyamoto & Jared Cullen, 9 mins
What happens upstream affects us all. The Tijuana River Valley is a watershed split in half by an international border. During rainstorms, huge quantities of trash and contaminants pour into a San Diego estuary and the Pacific Ocean, proving that our environment has no borders. Can ordinary citizens band together with elected officials to solve this problem? ––DB

Delta Blues*

(USA), Steven Johnson, 20mins
Fish gotta swim, but water diverted from their spawning rivers is a well-gnawed bone of contention between fisheries and farming interests. Sacramento River water is diverted to arid Central Valley farms, drying up vital fish habitats, and pitting farmers against fisherfolk and conservationists. Will this be worked out, or will fish species go extinct? ––MJS

Landscapes at the World’s End at the Edge-Antarctic

(New Zealand), Richard Sidey, 15 mins
Journey to Antarctica and South Georgia Island where majestic penguins convene in sedate elegance, where gnarly elephant seals snooze on wind-blasted shores, and where luminous cathedrals of ice thunderously “calve” into sparkling floes, while seals ply indigo waters. This stunningly filmed, originally scored masterwork imbues these nature images with an almost ethereal quality. – MJS

For Cod’s Sake

(Sweden), Folke Ryden, 52 mins
The cod has disappeared from the western Atlantic and is unlikely to return for decades. The eastern Atlantic is nearly as bad, but the Baltic Sea still offers hope. The Sea’s surrounding nations negotiate to avoid another collapse, but fisherfolk are not easily corralled, and there are winners and losers. ––KH

7:00pm – Program 5: SURFING

Monsterboards*

(USA), Matthew McGregor-Mento, 7 mins
“I have a confession: I really like small waves,” says Dutch surfer, Eef. He creates boards in the style of the alaia and the paipo, adds art, and cycles 10 miles to the North Sea to ride them. A refreshing and child-like take on wave riding. ––PM

Ocean Monk*

(USA), Sanjay Rawal, 19mins
Artfully filmed in New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, Ocean Monk chronicles the search for enlightenment and love of the ocean by students of the late guru Sri Chinmoy. Featuring music by Sigur Ros. ––PM

The Westsiders*

(USA), Joshua Pomer, 90 mins
Surf innovation and localism combine to document the story of Santa Cruz friends, Daryl “Flea” Virostko, Shawn “Barney” Barron and Jason “Ratboy” Collins. They bond over common tragedy and the love of surf, helping each other through broken homes, drug addiction and psychological issues. ––PM

Saturday, March 12, 2011

10:00am – Program 6 – Family Program

Amazing Jellies*

(USA), Gabriela Quiros, 11 mins
The North Pacific is home to many species of elegant gelatinous animals. They grow abundantly in the sea, they are often fluorescent, and some are over 100 feet long. They are a challenge to collect, study, and display because they are so fragile. ––KH

Birdathlon

(USA), Karen Lewis, 4 mins
Which seabird will win in this animated race traversing air and sea? ––KK

Killer Whales*

(USA), Kevin Bachar & Joey Allen, 44 mins
New research highlights “conversation” among orcas previously unheard of. In this exciting orca exposé, we witness coordinated attacks on seals, dolphins and rays; even great white sharks fall victim to killer whales. They embody an intellect, grace, communication ability and penchant for teamwork that matches the skill of any NFL team. ––DB

Willem and the Whales*

(USA), Kate Miller, 2 mins
Willem is an awesome five-year-old who has big stuff on his mind: Whales. Speaking candidly and directly to the camera, he offers a solution to the plight of whales around the world. ––SH

The Bay vs The Bag*

(USA), Save The Bay and Free Range Studios, 2 mins
In the style of a fresh Febreze commercial, this film takes you for a sun-kissed stroll on the beach, where the sky is blue and the ocean is plastic. We are given a landscape of our very own, picturesque San Francisco, where the natural world has been replaced with plastic bags. ––SH

Physics of Surfing*

(USA), Greg Passmore, 26 mins
Computational Fluid Dynamics rarely comes up in people’s conversations. “Physics of Surfing,” however, takes what starts out as a typical surf film – beautiful oceanic scenery, bouncy music,, sweet swells, and skilled surfers (mostly women for a change)handsome pro-surfers, amazing rollers – and turns it into a scientific description of how and why surfboards are designed the way they are, the mechanics of breaking waves, and surfing itself. ––SH

1:00pm – Program 7: Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life

Global Focus: Costa Rica*

(USA), Will Parrinello, 5 mins
Randall Arauz, a 2010 Goldman Environmental Prize recipient, started out protecting sea turtles. Film shot on a shark-finning boat shocked him into working for sharks as well. Thanks to Arauz, laws in Costa Rica now require sharks to be landed with fins intact. The U.S. has such a law now, too. But when fins sell for $200 a pound, getting such laws enforced is not easy. ––SJPH

Save Sharks, Don’t Serve Them*

(USA), Jeff Litton, 2 mins
Personal stories and observations reveal the grace of sharks and the impact of shark finning. Help make history and support the ban of the sale of shark fins and shark fin soup in San Francisco. ––KK

Yao Ming- Shark Fin Soup PSA

(USA), Kevin Donovan, 30 secs
I don’t know about you, but I always take any advice I get from someone who is seven feet tall and weighs over 300 pounds. ––SJPH

The Great White Shark: Meet the Man in the Gray Suit*

(USA), Chris Bauer & Lindsay Kelliher, 12 mins
At the Farallon Islands, folks are changing their ARHGHHHHH to awe. Sadly, shark populations are crashing everywhere. Find out what bay area researchers are doing to save these magnificent animals. ––KK

Sanctuary in the Sea

(USA), Bob Talbot, 18 mins
Stunning imagery and an original score by the Mermen blend with the perspective of Farallones’ diver Ron Elliott, as he ponders his life with the sea, and considers the future of our oceans. Witness the transformation from over-exploited hunting ground to protected sanctuary. White sharks, blue whales, and a quarter-million seabirds co-star. ––MJS

Whales of Gold

(USA), Lucia Duncan, 39 mins
Over 40 years ago, Pachico Mayoral and his fishing partner were approached at sea by a curious gray whale. He caressed it. Now thousands of tourists visit the San Ignacio Lagoon, some as if they are visiting Las Vegas, a villager says. This finely crafted film, filled with thoughtful interviews and moments of reflective stillness, makes you wonder, with Pachico and other villagers, why they do not get a say in the changes. Globalization has made that a too familiar theme. ––SJPH

Manta – Ray of Hope

(USA), Shawn J. Heinrichs, 7 mins
Beliefs about medicinal benefits are driving the destructive trade of killing mantas. Enjoy the beauty of these animals and meet the folks who are trying to save them. ––KK

In the Wake of Giants*

(USA), Lou Douros, 17 mins
When humpback whales migrating between Alaska and Hawaii become entangled in marine debris, a small network of well-trained volunteers risk their lives to save them. Shot almost entirely with research cameras mounted on the helmets of the rescuers themselves, this film takes you into the boat within close range of the struggling whales. ––Akua Films

 

Sharks, Fins and Sustainability: A Panel Discussion: 3:15pm
Aquarium of the Bay, Farallon Room

Following the Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life program. The panel discussion will be held in Aquarium of the Bay’s Farallon Room, located off the East Deck entrance to the Aquarium.
The discussion is open to Sharks & Vanishing Marine Life film program ticket holders and festival pass holders.

Moderated by Christopher Chin, Executive Director of COARE, confirmed panelists include:

• Peter Knights, Director, WildAid
• Jennifer Fearing, Chief Economist and California Senior State Director, Humane Society of the United States
• Casson Trenor, Seafood Campaigner, Greenpeace
• Chef Kin Lui, Chef, Tataki Restuarant,
• Chris Bauer, Producer, KQED QUEST
• Christina Slager, Director of Husbandry, Aquarium of the Bay

4:00pm – Program 8

Finding a Balance in Rough Waters

(USA/Ecuador), Rob Holmes 7 mins
Believing that small choices can make a difference, Equilibro Azul works with local fisherman to develop sustainable practices and ward off seabed-destroying shrimp trawlers. But as the film says, if the kids don’t care about the oceans, what adults do won’t matter. ––SJPH

Someplace with a Mountain

(USA), Steve Goodall, 51 mins
On his sail around the world, filmmaker Steve Goodall comes across five islands in Micronesia that have resisted all modern influence. Their culture remains as it has for hundreds of years, so they were unaware that the sea level rise they had already noticed is a worldwide, unstoppable phenomenon. These islands are only five feet high. Goodall goes in search of an alternative home. ––KH

Concrete Coast

(Spain), Robert Harding Pittman, 26 mins
A massive project is planned for the last large undeveloped coastal plain on the Iberian peninsula, Murcia in southeastern Spain. That local people should have a say in such a project – a million new residences, 12 new marinas, 60 golf courses – rarely occurs to developers, private or governmental, yet it will destroy farms and damage regional culture. As one opponent of the project feels: “On something which has been damaged, there cannot be pleasure nor rest.” ––SJPH

Suki Loves the Beach*

(USA), John M. Pierre, 3 mins
This film tribute and memorial to a truly beach-loving dog celebrates warm sand to roll in, waves to dance through, dog friends to romp with, and a loving human to facilitate the experience. What more could one dog ask? An original score captures Suki’s spirit. ––MJS

7:00pm – Program 9

SoLa: Louisiana Water Stories

(USA), Jon Bowermaster, 60 mins
In 2008, a crew goes to Louisiana to make a film about the water in Cajun Country and the people who live there. They arrive to meet a devastating ecological disaster – the Gulf oil spill. They find everyone in Louisiana has a water story. For the people who live there, it’s a story about your good neighbors and your bad ones. ––SH

The Majestic Plastic Bag

(USA), Jeremy Konner, 4 mins
Heal the Bay produced this nature mockumentary about the migration of a plastic bag to bring awareness of plastic pollution and support for California Bill AB 1998. Will the bag make it out of the asphalt jungle and past the deadly killer teacup yorkie and into the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? ––KK

The Board Meeting*

(USA), Maggie Franks, 15 mins
“Our goal is to go to at least 80.” A modest goal, considering that the two surfing dudes of this delightful film are 79. But when you do something like riding waves purely for the enjoyment, not as a “challenge,” lots of things become possible. Lifelong stoke! ––SJPH

Papa Mau

(USA), Na’alehu Anthony, 57 mins
In the 1970s, the Hawaiian Renaissance leads to a re-creation of the “central object of Polynesian culture”—the canoe. The Hawaiians had to relearn both how to build these traditional canoes and the art of celestial navigation. But who could teach them? On one island, Satewal, the tradition has been kept alive, and the star navigator is Mau Piailug. ––KH

Sunday, March 13, 2011

10:00am – Program 10 – Family Program

Home for Hawksbill*

(USA), Jordan Plotsky, 29 mins
In the 1980s, local resistance compels the lifting of an imposed ban on killing hawksbill turtles on the Arnavon islands, which are part of the Solomons and are favored by nesting hawksbill turtles. In 1995, the Solomons government changes its approach and works with the local people––Melanesians on two of the islands, Micronesians on the third. Cultural and territorial issues are resolved and a preserve that protects the turtles is established, becoming a model for all of the South Pacific. ––SJPH

The Coral Gardener

(U.K.), Elizabeth White, 9 mins
Austin Bowden-Kerby is not your average gardener. His journey begins with popcorn and leads to a lifetime of work with coral. His passion for gardening and his love of the ocean inspires him to do something that just might save the coral reefs of Fiji. ––SH

Chasing the Swell

(USA), Sachi Cunningham, 24 mins
Big wave surfers all over the world wait for The Break. When a big swell is predicted following a storm near Japan, they descend first on the North Shore of Hawaii. The swell then heads for northern California. With two days to go. they vote on whether to hold Mavericks in Half Moon Bay. It’s 2010 and the contest is on! ––KH

Raja Ampat*

(USA), Nannette Van Antwerp, 5 mins
The exquisite inhabitants of Indonesia’s tropical reefs weave a dazzling tapestry of brilliant corals as its more mobile denizens play out strategies of survival through mimicry and concealment. Glistening schools of jewel-like fish swirl with balletic movements to animate the living reef. – MJS

Abby Sunderland Sets Sail

(USA), Sachi Cunningham, 11 mins
At age13, Abigail Sunderland said she wanted to sail around the world alone. Three years later, after her brother had succeeded in his attempt, her parents agreed, but they didn’t want her stopping anywhere. They felt a non-stop sail would be safer, in her mother’s words, for “this young blond thing.” ––KH

1:00pm – Program 11

Between the Harvest

(USA), Scott Drucker, 30 mins
What does “1%” mean relative to a sea turtle and human population? In Ostional, Costa Rica, citizens harvest 1-2 percent of the olive ridley turtle eggs. Is this harvest sustainable and are they hurting the turtles, which are endangered elsewhere in the world, “but not here”? This film takes us for a surprising ride, where the issues aren’t black or white. ––KK

Kilauea Sea Turtles

(USA), Kevin Bachar, 6 minutes
In the shadow of Kilauea, destructive lava flows provide rich nutrients that nurture reefs, which attract abundant marine life, including the green turtle, “master of the reef”. Until recently, hunting and egg harvest had pushed this species to the brink. In this rare environmental success story, conservation efforts are bringing the green turtle back. ––DB

Cambodian Shrimpers Clean Up BP’s Oil

(USA), Sachi Cunningham, 9 mins
When BP’s blowout wrecked the Louisiana shrimp fishery, Cambodian fishermen were hired to clean up the mess. Faced with rough seas, inexperience and the arrival of hurricane season, Plork and his wife Tal cannot foresee how they will survive this disaster. ––MJS

Rescue Men: The Story of the Pea Island Surfmen

(USA), Allan Smith, 55 mins
In October 1896, a boat grounded on the North Carolina coast is battered by stormy seas. Just in time, two surfmen swim to it with a saving cable. Astonishingly, for that place and time, both are Negro, members of an all-Black six-man life-saving crew headed by station-keeper Richard Etheridge, who was born a slave and became a Union Army veteran and a Buffalo Soldier. This is an extraordinary tale of seven extraordinary men. ––SJPH

4:00pm – Program 12 – Includes Awards Ceremony

East Scheldt: Discovery Underwater

(Netherlands), Ed Snijders, 26 mins
Every Spring, thousands of cuttlefish looking to mate move into East Scheldt, a partially artificial body of water in southwestern Netherlands, where over 200 other species join them, including a fish known to those who love it as a lumpsucker. A splendid soundtrack by Roy Bemelmans complements fine cinematography. ––SJPH

Madstreak

(France/USA), Nancy Ogden, 53 mins
At the outset, Clay Burkhalter reminds us that people usually sail for pleasure. When he enters the 2006 Transat 6.5, a solo race from France to Brazil for 21-foot sailboats, getting there in one piece is at the top of his list. It is no small feat in a race that in its 30 years has claimed seven lives and countless boats. ––SJPH

Change for the Oceans

(USA), Jonah Sach, 1 min
This animated short demonstrates the challenges life on our Blue Planet faces in a rapidly changing climate. Can wildlife keep pace with the planet? Or must we humans change to slow the rising tide, and the warming of earth and seas? ––MJS

 

*Filmmaker and/or film representatives to lead Q&A

Our thanks to volunteer reviewers: Diane Brockob (DB), Sarah Haas (SH), Sidney J.P. Hollister (SJPH), Keith Howell (KH), Kathi Koontz (KK), Pamela Morse (PM), Chris Paganelli (CP), M. J. Schramm (MJS) and Peter Winch

© 2011 Diane Brockob, Sarah Haas, Sidney J.P. Hollister, Keith Howell, Kathi Koontz
Pamela Morse, Chris Paganelli, M. J. Schramm, Peter Winch and the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival.