Newport, Oregon—The Oregon Coast Aquarium will showcase a collection of award-winning films during the Blue on Tour Ocean Film Festival on October 4 and 5.
The Aquarium organized the festival in partnership with Westwind Stewardship Group (WSG) in hopes that viewers will, in the words of Aquarium President/CEO Carrie Lewis, “Walk away feeling renewed, optimistic and connected to the ocean.”
The Festival’s compilation of cinematography, discussion panels and lectures are designed to change the way guests think about their relationship with the ocean.
“The power of visual imagery to inform and spark action is used by WSG, not only for its core work in restoring and managing the Westwind site, but also for its larger obligation to promote ocean and forest conservation on the Oregon coast,” said Matt Taylor, Executive Director of WSG. “Once we learned about Blue Ocean Film Festival, Inc. and their fantastic program of cutting edge, whimsical and scientifically potent films, we sought to partner with them and the Oregon Coast Aquarium to anchor a world class event here in Oregon.”
The event also includes sustainably sourced seafood appetizers Friday night and lunch on Saturday courtesy of Fishpeople, a new Oregon based seafood company. Duncan Berry, the CEO of Fishpeople, explained why he decided to support the event when he said, “We believe we all have an emotional connection with the sea. Finding and being aware of that connection is what Fishpeople is all about – whether we do that through food or film.”
The Blue on Tour Ocean Film Festival begins with a social hour and a presentation from Bruce Mate, Director of the Marine Mammal Institute on Friday, October 4 from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. The following day, guests will dive into the heart of the festival from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with film showings and expert discussion panel, including filmmakers from Sisbro. Feature length films at the event include “Sushi: The Global Catch” (d. Mark Hall), “Red Gold” (d. Ben Knight and Travis Rummel) and “Andrea: Queen of Mantas” (d. Mark Woodward).
The event will be followed by a beach and highway clean-up effort hosted by the Newport Chapter of the SurfRider Foundation on Sunday, October 6 from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. People interested in participating should meet at the Moolack Beach Parking Area with water, lunch, reusable gloves and sturdy footwear. Surfrider will provide participants with refreshments, information and bags to use for the clean-up.
Admission price for the two day festival, including meals, is $50. Tickets are available at www.aquarium.org or by calling (541) 867-3474.
