Film Festival

MONDAY
15 APRIL

Waves of Cinema:
A Festival of Oceanic Films

2 Balloons [Short Video] 1min | 12:00 - 12:01

Public service message about climate change by Dimitris Kotsaras

Tilos, a little ark by the Primary School of Tilos, Doc, 10min

A short film about a small island with an important history. A primary school with pupils from different parts of the world, an island like a little ark.

Tasty land by the 3rd Primary school of Plomari, Doc, 10min

The research and recording of the intertemporal migration and multiculturalism of the people of Plomari, Lesvos.

Sea’s Memory by the General Lyceum of St. Mironas, Crete, Doc / Fic, 5min 

A short film about the Jewish and Greek Holocaust as well as the ills of the war which interrelates: events from the Peloponnese War and the contemporary refugee issue. All “the unwanted and dangerous” are drowned in the sea… but the sea remembers.

Alisachni by the High School of Sikinos, Fic, 9min

The story of a mermaid by the name Alisachni and a shark.

The myth of Nereids Sea Nymphs by the High School of Zacharo, Anim, 3min

A grandfather with his teenage grandchildren visit the baths at the spring of Nereids Sea nymphs in lake Kalliafeia. But the entrance is closed and the Centaur Chiron has no intention of letting them through.

The Sirens still singing…by the Student Group “Myth, Music & Animation” of the Art High School of Athens, Anim,  10min

Two “worlds – islands” floating in the same sea… One world is that of the Sirens, the hybrid female creatures of the wild sea, and the other world is a society of typical humans, of gloom, oppression, separation and war. Dedicated to all people with a feminine soul who fight in the darkest corners and like weavers, they courageously spin a better world.

A message for you by Pupils from the silands of Donousa, Koufonisi, Amorgos, Schinousa, Fic, 9min

On the occasion of a nomadic festival for the children living in the Small Cyclades, the children attended a film workshop and were introduced to the first steps of the 7th art. They chose to get involved in the protection of the marine environment and specifically with the sustainable goal 14 “Life in the water”.

The call of the lighthouses by Konstantinos Potamianos, Doc, 10min

A documentary that describes the story of the renovation of the two southernmost lighthouses in mainland Europe, from the point of view of the architect who undertook their reconstruction. The project was difficult and full of unexpected incidents, but he and his team managed to complete it succesfully.

Alpheus and Artehousa  by the Lyceum of Vartholomios, Anim, 6min

Alpheus has fallen in love with Artemis and chases her everywhere, but she does not respond. His insistence becomes annoying culminating in the humiliating moment when he turns up uninvited at a party thrown by the Nymphs calling out Artemis’ name. She smears her face with mud so he does not recognize her, but then Alpheus’ gaze crosses with that of Arethusa’s and a love is born…

The last shipwright by the 3rd Primary school of Plomari, Doc, 10min

What is the art of the shipwright? What are the difficulties of today? A historical flashback from yesterday to today, an acquaintance with a profession that tends to disappear.

A strange day by the 3rd High School of Argyroupolis, Fic, 4min

The short film is the culmination of the “Stories for good purpose” Program, through which narrative techniques were applied, in order to create a scenario on environmental awareness and active action of adolescents

In search of me by the 13th Mythos Project / Camera Zizanio, Fic, 4min

A poetic film based on Kazantzaki’s quote “Reach what you cannot”. The film was created in the 13th Mythos project multinational film workshop, during the 23rd Camera Zizanio.

Plastic Seagulls by the General Lyceum of Syros, Doc, 6min

Plastic seagulls are involved in the Syros Sanitary Landfill, dealing especially with the “flying” plastic bags that travel and convert the entire area into a vast garbage dump.

Talk by Manolis Mellisourgos, Artistic Director of Camera Zizanio and the Young Creators

[Short Video]

Blue Marine’s largest project, seeking togather reliable, quantifiable data on the role of the continental shelves – and the life above them – in storing carbon.

Wildlife Vaasa Festival-International Nature Film Festival]

The Arctic ice is retreating due to climate change. The region’s once inaccessible raw materials have caught the attention of major world powers. And the tourism industry has also discovered the Arctic for their interests. More and more further north, the cruise ships come to previously untouched regions.

Hellenic Aquaculture Producers Organization (HAPO) Shaping the Future of Aquaculture.

[Wildlife Vaasa Festival-International Nature Film Festival]

Sun, sand and sea – for us humans, beaches are the epitome of holidays and relaxation. But they are also habitats for animals and plants. An amazing microcosm of nature unfolds between parasols and deckchairs – if you look closely. The actual inhabitants of the beach have developed different strategies to adapt to the tourist hustle and bustle. Whether beach cat, seagull, sand flea, octopus or crab – they all cope well with the annual occupation of their habitat. The film tells beach stories from the animals’ point of view – sometimes funny, sometimes dramatic, and always surprising.

Part of the exhibition transit 4 in the Project Room of the Museo MADRE. Production of State Museum of Contemporary Art, Thessaloniki.

created by Oliwia Tado, produced by CPF

Despite the European Union’s commitment to put an end to overfishing by 2020, the Mediterranean remains the most overfished sea on the planet, in the era of climate change. Traveling across the Mediterranean, the film captures the lives of fishermen who struggle to make ends meet and are at risk of becoming an “endangered species” due to bankrupt EU and national policies.

Talk by Thodoris Chondrogiannos and Environmental & Research Organizations

Showcasing the project of the Amorgos’ fishermen.

Fish have their own truth, which unfolds through real stories from scientists, cooks, divers, and people who love the sea.

This film is dedicated to the short finned pilot whales if the Teno rasca marine protected area in Tenerife. In this documentary we focused on the characteristics of this protected cetacean, talking to local people and organisations working in their protections, in the threats they are facing and in the course of action we ought to undertake for their protection. 

First part of a three part series exploring the Brazilian endemic Guiana Dolphin’s ecology, threats, and conservation. 

Talk by Nico Marin Benitez and Luca Vincent

TUESDAY
16 APRIL

Waves of Cinema:
A Festival of Oceanic Films

12:00-21:00

The Sea We Breathe narrated by Stephen Fry, Blue Marine Foundation, [SHORT VIDEO] 5min | 12:00 – 12:05

The documentary, a result of the collective effort of the Scouts of Alonnisos, focuses on the Alonnisos Marine Park. It aims to highlight its inestimable ecological value, the conservation efforts in place, and the challenges it faces. Additionally, the documentary presents its historical journey, legal protection status, unique features, and unparalleled biodiversity.

Talk by the Scouts of Alonnisos and the Thalassa Foundation

[Best Documentary award of the Hellenic Film Academy · Best Documentary award at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.]

Dolphin Man draws us into the world of Jacques Mayol, capturing his compelling journey and immersing viewers into the sensory and transformative experience of free-diving. From the Mediterranean to Japan and from India to the Bahamas, we meet Mayol’s closest friends and family.

Talk by Lefteris Charitos and Yiannis Issaris [Underwater Photographer & Videographer]

[Wildlife Vaasa Festival-International Nature Film Festival]

Climate change is changing tourism worldwide. But not just negative, as one might think. It also offers opportunities and possibilities. Suddenly tourism is possible in places where there was hardly any a few years ago. Tourism can also be made more environmentally friendly and sustainable in many places. The film looks around Greenland, the Spanish island of Mallorca and the tourism destination Ahrtal (Germany), which has been brutally affected by climate change, and gains surprising insights.

[Best Environmental Film Prize at the Cannes World Film Festival]

In 2012, an aquaculture was abandoned in Ithaca, degrading the natural environment, neglecting fish farming cages and other equipment, leaving them exposed and susceptible to weather conditions. In September 2020, Ianos, a hurricane-force storm caused the tons of industrial type of plastic pipes, fishing nets, nylon ropes, concrete blocks, plastic buoys, large rusty metal pieces and all kinds of waste to be carried away, later to be found floating on the surface of the sea, laying on the seabed and on the beaches. The pollution of the area has had immeasurable consequences for the marine ecosystem and the local community.

[Wildlife Vaasa Festival-International Nature Film Festival: Awarded 1st Prize in the Underwater Category]

Are rising sea temperatures and increasing acidification spelling doom for the coral reefs of our coasts? On Curaçao, one of the Dutch ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea, coral gardeners, as they’re known, are demonstrating that the reefs still have a chance. They are using cutting-edge methods to grow corals and reinforce damaged reefs. They are searching for the “supercorals” of the future. This benefits not only the ecosystems of the oceans but also the fishermen, tourists and inhabitants of the islands which the coral reefs protect.

[Best Direction at LA & Toronto Documentary Festival]

“If we fish now from Dardanelles to Piraeus, the fish we will catch will be two, the barrels ten, the bottles a hundred, and the garbage a thousand!.” Last year, Dimitris from Kavala, with his trawler, retrieved from the sea 2.5 tons of litter. He is one of the 40 fishermen who collaborate with the Athanasios C. Laskaridis Charitable Foundation.

Talk by Sotiris Danezis

Fish stocks in the Mediterranean Sea have dropped to alarming levels, but in one of its most overexploited areas, the state of fish populations is improving. By protecting just 1% of the Adriatic Sea, fish stocks and vulnerable species have  begun to recover.This is the  inspiring story of the protection of the Jabuka/Pomo Pit, narrated through the voices of fishermen, scientists, NGOs and decision-makers.

Talk by Domitilla Senni and Dino Bozanic – Young Fisherman

[Wildlife Vaasa Festival-International Nature Film Festival] The lifecycle and journey of a Caretta caretta turtle across the Mediterranean Sea is full of hazards, natural and human induced threats and agony for survival. Along the way several people will be there to help Blue. People that have dedicated their lives to saving these emblematic species from extinction. 

Talk by Vicky Markolefa

Second Nature is a Research & Design project that converts ‘ghost nets’ into digitally crafted artefacts, depicting sea creatures such as seashells and corals that are currently in danger due to plastic pollution. This transformation is achieved through recovery and recycling, 3d-printing and scanning techniques.

DEEP RISING is a tale of geopolitical, scientific and corporate intrigue: investigating the future of the world’s energy crisis and how it is currently tied to the fate of the deep ocean floor, which is intricately tied to our survival.

Talk by Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., President of the Republic of Palau

Talk by Matthieu Rytz and Mark Haver [Blue Green Genetation]

WEDNESDAY
17 APRIL

Waves of Cinema:
A Festival of Oceanic Films

12:00-21:00

Green Volunteers in the Cyclades, CPF, 3min [Short Video] | 12:00-12:03

A young sperm whale, a monk seal, a loggerhead sea turtle, a family of storks, a sea eagle and an island cat are only some of the main characters in this landmark series on the natural wonders of the Mediterranean world.

Filmed over the course of two years in 12 different countries and drawing on the expertise of 50 scientists from across the world, a documentary saga on a scale never-before-seen that breathes life into the challenges facing an endangered paradise on the brink.

Talk by Environmental & Research Organizations

Our fundamental goal with CYCLADES POSIDONIA ALERT campaign is to inform and sensitize boat/yacht owners, tourists, and the local population on the presence, importance, and vulnerability of the Posidonia meadows in the Cyclades and mitigate anchoring impact in the Cycladic islands.

A documentary about the battle of Poros against POAY.

Last October, when Tasmania met Poros, director Mike Sampey and producer Kirsten Bacon of LOWCo AU visited our island to film an anti-industrial fish farming documentary. Touched by the island’s unique beauty and the hospitality of the locals, they were inspired by the struggle of our community to combat the devastating effects of the POAY plan. The documentary “Poros Stands” premieres aims to support the community’s collective efforts to save Poros from industrial fish farming.

With The Blue Quest, Clément Pourtal and Jérôme Brousse set off to meet marine protection projects around the world, highlighting their actions and the people who work in them. After filming in Mexico, which gave rise to the award-winning documentary The Blue Quest – Baja California, this time they went to a unique location in the heart of the coral triangle in Southeast Asia: the island of Palawan!

[Winner Global Shorts Award Best Documentary Short]

A documentary that paints an optimistic picture of how humanity is adopting new technologies and innovations to rethink how water is managed.

Explores the idea that the oceans, especially salt-marshes, sea-grasses and mangroves, can absorb more carbon than trees.Told through the eyes of Grammy-nominated music producer, DJ and environmental toxicologist, Jayda Guy, accompanied by a score from the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and featuring Seu Jorge, Blue Carbon is an environmental documentary that brings together music and science to uncover what could be one of our greatest weapons in the fight against climate change. Filmed in the USA, Senegal, Vietnam, France, Colombia and Brazil, the documentary explores the latest science around the relatively newly-discovered potential of coastal ecosystems to help remove carbon from our atmosphere.

Talk by Ashleigh McGovern [Conservation International]

Explores the idea that the oceans, especially salt-marshes, sea-grasses and mangroves, can absorb more carbon than trees.Told through the eyes of Grammy-nominated music producer, DJ and environmental toxicologist, Jayda Guy, accompanied by a score from the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA and featuring Seu Jorge, Blue Carbon is an environmental documentary that brings together music and science to uncover what could be one of our greatest weapons in the fight against climate change. Filmed in the USA, Senegal, Vietnam, France, Colombia and Brazil, the documentary explores the latest science around the relatively newly-discovered potential of coastal ecosystems to help remove carbon from our atmosphere.

Talk by Ashleigh McGovern [Conservation International]

Please click here for more information and to book your place: Our Ocean Greece – April 15-17, 2024 – Megaron Athens Concert Hall 

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