Eight Films, One Mission: Saving Our Oceans

Barbara Ruddy
Jun 16
2 min read

Walking into the FAU Harbor Branch International Ocean Film Festival last Saturday was riveting. Enthusiastic students greeted attendees, and by the time I left, my head was spinning with images of environmentalists of all ages, colors, and backgrounds united in their mission to protect our treasured oceans.

This sold-out World Oceans Day celebration—now in its third year—proved that when science meets cinema, magic happens. These films are calls to action wrapped in breathtaking visuals featuring scientists, artists and activists of all ages working to save our oceans.

A recap of the eight films:

Souls - Six award-winning underwater photographers revealed how their first dive experience monumentally changed their lives
Roots - Dominican baseball players became passionate mangrove champions, planting hundreds of trees in perfect rows—a clear audience favorite
Saving Seagrass - Alabama's rapid urban growth threatens seagrass, offering crucial lessons for our own devastated Indian River Lagoon
Footprints on Katmai - A young artist retraced his grandmother's painted landscapes, transforming found beach trash into powerful art
Immersive - Journey 8,000 feet down to Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents where strange, beautiful organisms thrive in extreme conditions
Wild Hope: The Great Ocean Cleanup - Boyan Slat's ingenious mechanisms corral Pacific trash and tackle Jamaica's river pollution crisis
Battle of the Blues - Massive blue whales breach in California's Santa Barbara Channel while cargo ships learn life-saving speed reductions. I will never forget my own experience seeing these creatures up close and personal in the Arctic Circle!
Ocean Watch - The state-of-the-art vessel Falcor and its advanced robot explore depths of nearly 15,000 feet, revealing volcanic pillars and brilliantly colored creatures

These films don't just document—they inspire. Each story showcases the bravery of scientists, the creativity of artists, and the infectious passion of activists proving that individual actions create monumental change.

Gabby McHenry, Harbor Branch's director of outreach and engagement, has transformed World Oceans Day into something extraordinary. In three years, she's created a community where cutting-edge marine science ignites action through powerful cinema.

The ocean needs storytellers. These films prove they exist—and they're doing incredible work.

Don't miss next year's festival on June 6, 2026. To learn more, visit www.fau.edu/hboi.