In October 2018, Oceanic Global partnered with 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge to launch an ongoing monthly conservation documentary series called Films for Thought. Each screening in the series included a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker and/or experts in the field, followed by a rooftop cocktail reception at the hotel.
Our first screening was Oceans: Our Blue Planet, a co-production between OceanX Media and BBC Earth. Following the screening, we hosted Executive Producer, Jennifer Hile, and Director, Mark Dalio in a lively Q&A discussion. A journey to explore the world’s least known and least explored habitat, this 3D film was shot over four years across the globe. Methane volcanoes on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, the icy depths of Antarctica, and the urban beauty of Miami’s port are just a few of the locations featured. This 3D film was created alongside Blue Planet II, the landmark TV series from the BBC, and is now featured in over 50 countries worldwide.
The second in our “Films for Thought” series with 1 Hotel was Chasing Coral, which was followed by a Q&A discussion with Producer and Director, Jeff Orlowski. Chasing Coral focuses on the status of global coral reefs, highlighting issues such as climate change, ocean acidification, and overfishing, as well as potential solutions.
Our April screening was Racing Extinction which featured environmental activist and race car driver, Leilani Münter, as our guest speaker who led the post-screening Q&A discussion. Racing Extinction is an award-winning documentary exposing the threat of global species extinction. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment, Oscar®-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a team of artists and activists intent on showing the world never-before-seen images that expose issues of endangered species and mass extinction.
The January screening featured the documentary Chasing the Thunder. Following the screening, we hosted a Q&A discussion with Directors, Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin, and Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Captain Paul Watson. The documentary is about Sea Shepherd’s campaign in the Southern Ocean, and illustrates that the most powerful weapon for defending our Ocean and our Planet is the camera.
In March we screened Sharkwater Extinction and hosted Executive Producer and world-renowned environmental activist & filmmaker Shari Sant-Plummer for a post-screening Q&A discussion. This film dives into remote underwater locations to reveal the catastrophic effects of human activity on our ocean. 100-150 million sharks are killed every year, threatening all life both in and above the ocean. Filmmakers follow the crew through some of the world’s most dangerous fishing ports run by international crime organizations that have infiltrated the fishing industry.
Our February screening featured the film COOL IT, which provides a pragmatic and solution-oriented view of our climate crisis. Following the screening, award-winning filmmaker Ondi Timoner, joined us for a post-screening Q&A, where we explored how the landscape has changed in the 10 years since she released the film. The film follows controversial figure, Bjorn Lomborg, in his quest to better characterize the issue of climate change within the context of our global society and other pressing issues including world hunger, disease, and poverty.
Our March screening featured the film Picture of His Life. After the film, we hosted an eye opening Q&A with world-renowned Wildlife Photographer & Explorer, Amos Nachoum. The film follows Nachoum in his quest to capture the shot of his life of a polar bear swimming underwater, and highlights the suffering setbacks, challenges, roadblocks (including terrifying polar bear attacks) along his eventually triumphant journey.
Our December screening featured Snow Bears, a BBC documentary taking us to the Arctic to follow a mother polar bear and her cubs as they race against climate change for survival. Roie Galitz, award-Winning Wildlife Photographer, Filmmaker & Greenpeace Ambassador, joined us for a post-screening Q&A.
Our first screening in 2020 was Breaking Their Silence: Women on the Frontline of the Poaching War. The film’s Producer, Director, and Writer, Kerry David, joined us for a post-screening Q&A. This film highlights the sordid world of wildlife trafficking and poaching run by crime syndicates globally. The film team made efforts to understand the issue from the ground, and discover the women that are lending their skills, networks, and often, their safety to the mission.
To wrap up NYC Climate Week, our September screening featured Celine Cousteau’s Tribes on the Edge , which highlights the threats facing the Amazon and the indigenous communities being displaced. We opened the evening with “Mother’s Cry,” a spoken-word short from Lisa Russell (Founder, Create2030) on climate change and inequality. Following the film screening, Russell and Nina Kantcheva (UNDP’s Equator Initiative) joined us as guest speakers for a Q&A discussion.
Our November screening was Microplastic Madness, a film which highlights the incredible efforts of students in NYC to eliminate single-use plastics and styrofoam in their school, and ultimately influence city-wide policy. Filmmakers and leadership of Cafeteria Culture, Atsuko Quirk and Rhonda Keyser, joined us for a post-screening Q&A.
Our July screening featured Pew Charitable Trust documentary, Voces Del Mar. Narrated by world-renowned marine scientist, Dr. Sylvia Earle, this short film highlights how the indigenous Rapa Nui community of Easter Island came together to establish a marine protected area and long-term plan for responsible management of marine resources. Ashleigh Cirilla, Senior Manager for the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project who oversees ongoing engagement with the people of Rapa Nui, joined us for a post-screening Q&A.
In August, we screened Ay Mariposa, a documentary that investigates the US-Mexico border lands from both an environmental and social perspective. The film seeks to understand the effects the wall will have on ecosystems and communities, telling a story of habitat destruction and the migration of humans and butterflies. Director, Krista Schlyer joined us for a Q&A discussion after the screening.
Our May screening was Colors of Change, a short film that follows artist, Zaria Forman, the NASA scientists on Operation IceBridge, and Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq ‘Uncle’, an Inuit elder, to the front lines of climate change. Following the screening, Forman joined us as our guest speaker for a Q&A discussion. The goal of the film is to bring facts and stories back to those who cannot access this remote landscape that is being affected by climate change and is affecting sea level rise.
Our June screening featured Ghost Fleet, a Vulcan Productions documentary that follows a small group of activists who risk their lives on remote Indonesian islands to find justice and freedom for the enslaved fishermen who feed the world’s insatiable appetite for seafood. Bangkok-based Patima Tungpuchayakul, a Thai abolitionist, has committed her life to helping these “lost” men return home. Both Patima and featured survivor, Tun Lin, joined us to share their stories at the 2019 United Nations World Oceans Day Event on Friday, June 7th, the same day on which the documentary was released. We were honored to serve as a platform to further spread this important message and to host Producer, Jon Bowermaster, who joined us in a post-screening Q&A discussion.
The February screening in this series featured Sonic Sea from the NRDC. Dr.Francine Kershaw, a project scientist at NRDC’s Marine Mammal Protection Project and Oceans Program, joined us to lead the post-screening Q&A discussion. Sonic Sea is a documentary highlighting the threats ocean noise pollution poses to marine life. It won the 2017 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Nature Documentary and Outstanding Music and Sound.
The December screening of Oceanic Global’s Films for Thought Series, was an episode of National Geographic‘s Years of Living Dangerously, ‘Collapse of the Oceans.’ Producer & Director, Martha Jeffries and Producer, Cat Hartwell joined as guest speakers in our post-screening Q&A session. In this one hour episode, correspondent Joshua Jackson travels to Canada, Australia and the Philippines and looks at the impact of ocean warming and acidification on coral reefs. ‘Collapse of the Oceans’ won Best Reality Television at the Environmental Media Awards 2017.
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