DEEPWAVE Filmfestival for the Protection of the Ocean

Important Notice: Due to the ongoing crisis the filmfestival will be postponed. A new event date will be found once the spread of the coronavirus is contained.

The "DEEPWAVE Filmfestival for the Protection of the Ocean" is an all-evening event for students, scientists, stakeholders of marine conservation and the general public. It's for all those who want an intense dive into the sea, its beauties and threats.

We specialize in a highly curated choreography. While we love high-quality short films, our utmost focus is for all movies, invited experts and experiences to be connected and seamlessly flow together - in the spirit of our oceans and their inhabitants.

An example would be the film "DEEP TIME", where the film's creators Kirsten and Joachim Jakobsen could discuss and revel in the experience of deep-sea exploration with invited guests the likes of Dr. Antje Boetius and Dr. Rolf Koppelmann. But the setting allowed the dive into deep-sea mining ethics and the dark implications of shady politics and greed - when exploration turns into exploitation.

One of our favourite moments was when the central character of the film "REPICORE | Research in Melanesia" joined us on stage, Dr. Sebastian Ferse, and told us about the devastating impacts of coral extinction. The discussion with Dr. Götz Reinicke sparked hard emotions, as a nearly complete loss of coral reefs by 2050 seems likely - even if we stop polluting the climate now. But a feeling of community in the audience and the repeated assessment of all present scientists, that true change leads to true impact, turned it around.

Even the catering, provided by a local zero waste store, has been selected to nourish guests in a sustainable manner and was a welcome addition to the brainfood on screen.

I could go on: the opening speech of actor Frederik Götz about the importance of transformative fear, the visit from filmmaker Faye Meijer, etc. We hopely brought a strong memory to all guests and created some food for thought and reason to change.

We thank everyone for attending, everyone who went out there with a camera to return with a piece of art and last but not least all who helped make this possible, the team, our donors, every partner and all who were involved in the in-house production of the short film "ONNO".

So, next round it is.

Help us to create a second memorable evening by submitting your movie, share it among your peers or suggest filmmakers we should contact.
We are looking for short length movies and videos of all genres about the ocean and its protection – politically, rousingly, enlighteningly, documenting, thrilling and to marvel.

The main topic this year will again be Coral Reefs and the Deep Sea (we will sadly have to make these a topic every year until they are saved), but we would like to include Climate Change as a topic that spans all else. And if you even have something about an often overlooked topic like Noise Mitigation we would be very grateful.

If your movie stars interesting personas who happen to live in a region accessible by train to Hamburg, we would love to invite them.

The festival is going to take place at the Lichtmess cinema. There is no entrance fee and catering is also free.