Film festival celebrates our majestic oceans

Capes audiences will immerse themselves in extraordinary stories of the sea on March 11 when the Ocean Film Festival Australia arrives at the Margaret River Cultural Centre.

The festival features a curated selection of captivating ocean-themed films, including the feature-length films Emocean and Manry at Sea.

Emocean is a love letter to the ocean from surfers, fishermen, marine scientists and people with a shared passion for the sea.

It delves into their explorations of northern WA, among other parts of the world. Manry at Sea chronicles the solo adventures of Robert Manry, who sailed from Falmouth in the US to Falmouth in the UK in 72 days on a 13ft vessel in 1965.

Ocean Film Festival director Jemima Robinson said curating the festival took the entire year and involved watching 300 films.

“This festival is so unique because it is led by ocean-lovers and what they are making films about,” she said.

“It’s natural and it changes every year and I love that surprise. The films document the beauty and power of the ocean, and celebrate the divers, surfers, swimmers and oceanographers who marvel at the mysteries of the big blue.”

There are eight films showing, including Peace Within, Adventure is Calling, Surface, Southern Right Whale, I Am Fragile, and Surfer Dan.

Extreme artists painting underwater, surf photography, scuba diving, following the journey of whales, the remote arctic, and surfing will feature.