Oceanic Global Short Film Festival 2025

Oceanic Global's annual festival celebrating ocean storytelling through short films that inspire collective action and environmental awareness.

About the Festival

The Oceanic Global Short Film Festival uses storytelling as a catalyst to reconnect humanity with the Ocean and inspire collective action. Launched in 2020, the festival has evolved into a global platform for filmmakers, artists, and changemakers to showcase environmental narratives that spark tangible impact.

The 2025 edition, themed “Wonder”, invited audiences to rediscover awe for the natural world and reimagine humanity’s role within it. Premieres in New York and London during Earth Month (April) were followed by global screenings throughout World Oceans Month (June). The screening series activated 15 Design Hotel properties in over 11 countries, and included screenings in notable forms including the 2025 United Nations Oceans Conference, The Explorers Club, 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge and more.  

Beyond the screenings, the festival fostered cross-sector collaboration, transforming awareness into action, reaching global audiences both in person and online.

Featured Festival Partners

2025 Festival Trailer

A glimpse into the heart of the 2025 festival, weaving together stories of resilience, wonder, and connection to the ocean. Through striking imagery and intimate perspectives, it captured how filmmakers from around the world used storytelling to inspire care, curiosity, and action for our blue planet.

2025 Impact Highlights

24

Screening Events

32

Local Partners Involved

11

Countries with Screening Events

2025 Winning Films

“Being selected as a winner for my debut short film ‘Peixinho’ at the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival was an absolute honor. Attending the screenings in Brooklyn and London has undeniably been the highlight of my year, truly incredible events where I connected with so many fellow ocean lovers. I eagerly anticipate the festival’s continued growth, empowering countless more emerging filmmakers on their vital journeys.”

– Kaushiik Subramaniam, Winning Filmmaker, Director of Peixinho

The Cosmos Beneath—By Lucas Lengagne

A poetic reflection on the parallels between the cosmos and the ocean, capturing the shared awe, mystery, and beauty of looking up at the stars and down into the deep.

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Peixinho—By Kaushiik Subramaniam

In a remote Mozambican village, one man teaches children to swim and champions ocean safety, transforming lives and challenging unsustainable fishing practices with hope and determination.

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A Dragon Story—By Dean Spraakman

A visually rich exploration of the Leafy Sea Dragon’s life and reproduction—an intimate dive into the wonders of one of the ocean’s most enchanting creatures.

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Develop—By Lidewij Hartog & Nino Kennis

A moving portrait of surf photographer Ydwer van der Heide who redefines his relationship with the ocean after a life-changing accident. Through photography resilience, and connection, he finds new meaning in the water.

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HAAGUA—By Marc Antony Chavez & Octavio Aceves Coutiño

An Indigenous surf film honoring the bond between ocean and culture. Along the West Coast, Native surfers reclaim ancestral traditions, using surfing as both resistance and regeneration.

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Explore More Winning Films

Impact Beyond the Screen

“There was so much diversity in the films and they covered such a broad range of topics. I felt like I was truly immersed in the ocean, encompassed by the power of storytelling that took me on a journey through the lives of the humans and animals that share these majestic ecosystems.”

-Karim Iliya, Co-Founder of Kogia and 2025 Juror

Ocean Dialogues

Programming explores three core topic areas: storytelling for impact through film, science and exploration informed by journalism, and culture, activism, and community leadership.

Jon Bowemaster

Oceans expert, journalist, author, filmmaker, adventurer and six-time grantee of the National Geographic Expeditions Council

Lucy Martens

2025 Juror; freelance documentary film maker, cinematographer, editor and director

Logan Lambert

Director and Producer, TOAST Studios

Kristina Nikolova

Director

Ana Blanco

Executive Director of IOFF

Kaushiik Subramaniam

2025 Winning Filmmaker; conservation biologist, photographer and filmmaker

Lidewij Hartog

2025 Winning Filmmaker

Lucas Lengagne

2025 Winning Filmmaker

Shari Sant

Environmental philanthropist and ocean activist

Joana Duarte

Marine Biologist and Chef

Nihaan Ibrahim

Resident Marine Biologist, Patina Maldives

Karim Iliya

2025 Juror; Co-Founder of Kogia

Zandile Ndhlovu

Ocean conservationist, social activist, and filmmaker

Ydwer van der Heide

Extreme sports lifestyle and adventure outdoor photographer

“There aren’t many platforms dedicated to ocean storytelling, so festivals like this are really important. They create a space for filmmakers at all stages to share work that might not find a home elsewhere. For emerging creators, that visibility and recongition can be especially motivating—it’s the kind of encouragement that helps you keep going, keep honoring your craft, and keep reaching for the next level.”

-Shireen Rahimi, Founder of Lightpalace Productions, Film Director, Producer & Underwater Camerawoman and 2025 Juror

2025 Event Highlights

UNOC Premiere Screening

In celebration of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC), Oceanic Global hosted a screening of three of the five winning films of the 2025 Oceanic Global Short Film Festival at ‘La Baleine’ on Thursday, 11 June, 2025 in Nice France.

The screening event also included a thought-provoking conversation, ‘Stories from the Deep: Art, Culture & the Ocean Connection,’ that explored how storytelling inspires environmental action.

Premier Screening: New York

Oceanic Global’s NYC Film Screening Premiere brought together ocean lovers and changemakers for an immersive evening of storytelling and connection. The event featured three separate short film screenings in one night, hosted in a dedicated cinema room.

Between screenings, guests gathered at The Osprey for ocean-inspired Ocean Potion cocktails, creating space for conversation and community. In support of Oceanic Global’s mission, 100% of ticket proceeds and 10% of Ocean Potion drink sales throughout April directly benefited the organization’s impact-driven programs.

The evening concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Oceanic Global Board Member Natasha Berg, featuring Kaushik Subramaniam, 2025 Festival Winning Filmmaker, and Jon Bowermaster, Founder of Oceans 8 Media / One Ocean Media Foundation. More than a screening, the NYC premiere celebrated the power of film to inspire collective ocean action.

Premier Screening: London

On April 20, 2025, Oceanic Global partnered with Ocean Culture Life, Space for a Better World, and Space for Art Foundation to host a satellite screening of the 2025 Oceanic Global Short Film Festival winners and a panel discussion as part of Ocean for Space: Ocean Stories at Piccadilly Lights. The free, public event brought ocean storytelling to the heart of London in celebration of Earth Day.

As an integrated partner of the Sea & Space Event, Oceanic Global showcased a curated selection of winning festival films that highlighted the beauty, urgency, and resilience of our interconnected ocean planet. The program also featured a collaborative film created with Sounds of the Ocean, an immersive, meditative piece blending ocean imagery, sound healing, and educational storytelling. The evening celebrated the power of film and collaboration to bridge sea and space, elevate ocean narratives, and inspire collective action to protect what sustains us.

The Explorers Club Screening

On June 4, Oceanic Global gathered ocean advocates, artists, and explorers at The Explorers Club for Stories from the Deep: Art, Culture and the Ocean Connection, an evening honoring the UN World Oceans Day 2025 theme, “Wonder.” Guests were immersed in the beauty, mystery, and urgency of the ocean through the voices of its most powerful visual storytellers.

The program opened with a special screening of four jury-selected winning films from Oceanic Global’s 2025 Short Film Festival, setting the tone with moving stories from beneath the surface. This was followed by a dynamic panel discussion exploring how art and culture shape our relationship with the ocean, and a sneak peek of the UN World Oceans Day Photo Competition finalists, offering an early glimpse into some of the year’s most compelling ocean imagery. The evening concluded with an intimate fireside chat, Behind the Lens: The Impact and Process of Ocean Photography, where photographers shared the creative journeys and responsibility behind capturing the underwater world.

Together, the evening invited guests to pause, reflect, and reconnect with the sense of wonder that drives ocean storytelling and the collective action needed to protect what inspires us most.

A special highlight of 2025 was the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival Design Hotels: Screening Series, which presented a series of screenings for the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival 2025 winners at select member hotels worldwide.

The screening series included tailored events at 15 Design Hotel properties, spanning 11 countries. The curated screenings included keynote talks, custom cocktails and dinners, children’s events, environmental workshops and more. The series offered properties unique opportunity to engage guests through the power of environmental storytelling while amplifying Ocean conservation efforts. Through this collective effort, the series also generated donations that directly supported Oceanic Global’s mission-led programming and ocean education work.

“The ocean connects us all—and through our partnership with Oceanic Global, we’re reimagining hospitality as a platform for purposeful storytelling. By uniting voices from across sustainability, hospitality, and the arts, we’re cultivating a global community committed to shaping a more conscious and connected future.”

-Sarah Doyle, VP Global Brand Leader at Design Hotels