Ocean in Motion Film Festival 2026
We're back, with the Ocean In Motion Asia Film Festival for 2026, and a new global Short Film Competition which we launched in honour of World Ocean Day, June 8th.
We're excited to announce the Winners of the first call to action and short films for the ocean, with Asia as a focus. The competition was global, but a few extra points were given for Asian content, as we are looking for good stories of anything ocean - in, on or under (IOU) the water, so we can give back and create new ways to enjoy and learn from the waters we love.....
The Ocean In Motion Film Festival will be held in different cities in Asia in the months to come, so stay tuned (with Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore on the list).
Thanks to everyone who entered, and that included entries from 19 countries and eight students, for our categories of Under 7 minutes and Under 15 minutes. Special thanks to our supporting sponsors, TGG Holdings/Ocean Vines and TJ Collection, and to our eight judges.
UNDER 7 MINUTE CATEGORIES
Best Film (Overall) 1st Place "Myrtle, Burble, and the Green Thing" by Coji Senanayake
Best Film (Overall) 2nd Place "Dangerous Creatures" by Walter Marti
Best Film (Under 18yrs of Age) - (No Winner/Entry this year)
Best Film by Women Producer 1st Place "Tides of Curiosity" by Jolin Tan
Best Foreign Language Film 1st Place "Mirror of Nature" by Michelle Chao
Asia Impact Award 1st Place "The Mermaid" by Seung Yeon Lee
Asia Impact Award 2nd Place "The Muck" by Kuba Naum
UNDER 15 MINUTE CATEGORIES
Best Film (Overall) 1st Place "Borrowed Air" by Noemi Merz
Best Film (Under 18yrs of Age) 1st Place "Constellation of the Sea" by Addie Akina Knoll
Best Film (Under 18yrs of Age) 2nd Place "A Reef Built By Many Hand" by Cooper Chen
Best Film by Women Producer 1st Place "The Net" by Klaudyna Brzostowska
Best Foreign Language Film 1st Place "Catch 22" by Aart Jan Van Dijk
Asia Impact Award 1st Place "A Change Within" by Yada Rujanavej
Special thanks to the TGG Holdings and their NGO, Ocean Vines, as well as TJ Collection for their support for our first Ocean In Motion Short Film Competition.
At our festivals, short films allow the audience to have many experiences about the ocean, raising curiosity, excitement and engagement, on topics they might not have known or seen before. The categories are wide - Anything Ocean, and for films of 7min or less, or 15min or less, with preference on Asian content and Asian producers, as we will highlight the amazing aspects of the ocean in Asia, that often don't get put into film, but films can on any part of the ocean, globally.
Prizes per Category
1st Place: US$800.00
2nd Place: US$500.00
3rd Place: US$350.00
Sponsorship packages for the 2027 Ocean In Motion Short Film Competition are available for supporting each category(s), and also one or more of the film festival hosting locations. Please contact us for more information.
Ocean In Motion Judges
We have an international panel of judges for the Ocean In Motion Short Film Competition this year, all with different expertise and interests in the ocean that they bring to the event.
David Creech
Mulit-Disciplinary Paddle Sport Athlete – Ocean Lover and Environmental Systems Researcher
David has been a filmmaker since the mid-80’s when he created his first film, “The Adventures of Swirlieman” in an Indiana art school. He holds a Master’s degree in Film and Television, has worked, and has worked and lived in Los Angeles and New York. He also taught Directing and Writing at the European Film College in Denmark. Over the years, David’s passion for film has compelled him to write, produce, direct, edit, and shoot documentaries, music videos, dramas, corporate films, and more. David loves to work with people and strives to create an environment where everyone can do their best work. Since the pandemic alone, his films have garnered over 20 awards.
Barry Lau
Chief Strategy Officer - TGG Group
Barry serves as Chief Strategy Officer at TGG Group, an investment holdings company headquartered in Hong Kong. In parallel to its investment work, TGG supports development in sports, culture, youth and ocean conservation through their charity, Ocean Vines.
Boaz Yip
Ocean Entrepreneur
Boaz is deeply passionate about the ocean, surfing, and nature. Sharing the stoke with dolphins, whales, dugongs, and sea turtles while surfing revealed a simple realization: we are not just part of nature, but nature itself. Former professional background in global markets with a lifelong immersion in natural environments, evaluating stories that explore human resilience, our relationship with the sea, and authentic presence in the wild.
Andrea Richey
Executive Director - Hong Kong Shark Foundation
For over 35 years, Andrea has lived in Hong Kong and worked for a wide variety of corporate and NGO entities. Since 2015, she has worked and volunteered for the NGO Hong Kong Shark Foundation in many capacities, most recently as the Executive Director raising awareness about shark conservation and educating people to stop eating shark fin soup and all shark products. Before joining Hong Kong Shark Foundation, Ms. Richey was a legal recruiter and previous to that worked for the Wall Street law firm of Paul, Weiss in Hong Kong in a corporate communications/business development capacity. She speaks Mandarin and has lived and worked in both China and Taiwan.
Doug Woodring
Founder and Managing Director of Ocean Recovery Alliance and the Ocean In Motion Film Festival
Doug has worked on global ocean and environmental protection for over 20 years, all the time based in Asia. His focus has been mainly on the reduction of plastic pollution by working with communities, businesses and governments to develop strategic solutions and programs that educate, build awareness, and lead to long-term positive societal change. He engages with a wide variety of stakeholders, industries and communities to help decrease the learning curve for innovation, designs and policies which can improve the environment. The Ocean In Motion Film Festival is one such way of bringing like-minded people and awareness together. He is a UNEP Climate Hero, Google Earth Hero, was awarded the Prince’s Prize for Innovative Philanthropy in Monaco, and inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame.
Shraddha Nair
Writer, Creator and Ocean Lover
Shraddha is a writer, creative, and ocean lover based in Bangkok, Thailand. From graduating in Art & Design, to working with artists as a journalist and curator, studying permaculture and then living on an off-grid farm in South India, her diverse experiences have set her off on a unique path. She is passionate about fostering children’s connection with nature through art, and enjoys teaching sustainable practices through creative formats. She currently works as the Head of Content at a marketing agency in Bangkok, bringing storytelling and editorial prowess to some of Asia’s leading brands.
Marielisa Padilla
Urban Transformation and Sustainability Expert
Marielisa is an international urban transformation and sustainability expert with over 15 years of experience across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Based in Siem Reap, Cambodia, she has worked on sustainable urban development, waste management, and responsible tourism initiatives, including involvement in a waste management project in the Tonle Sap community of Kampong Khleang. Her work emphasizes community participation, environmental awareness, and the role of storytelling and creative engagement in inspiring positive change.
Erden Eruc
Holder of 18 Guiness Book of World Records for Rowing the World's Ocean
Erden is a highly accomplished global ocean rower best known for his 5 year 11 day odyssey which Guinness World Records certified as the First Solo Circumnavigation by Human Power. With 18 records to his name by now, his circumnavigation remains the fastest. Eruç has now set his eyes on the 2030 Golden Globe Race which is a solo nonstop sailing competition expected to take eight months to complete in the dated vessels allowed.
Ryan Cheung
Ocean Athlete and Experiential Learning Facilitator
Ryan is an ocean ambassador and multi disciplined water sport athlete in Hong Kong with a strong connection to his home waters since his early years. Since being a youth speaker at the Plasticity Forum in 2013, he graduated in Canada with a degree in Geography and Environmental Management, and gained further interest in studying coastal systems and global circulation models. Now based in Hong Kong again, Ryan works in outdoor and experiential education, fostering environmental consciousness and learning with his students through sport.
PREVIOUS EVENTS
Join us for a special screening of the 2019 Hong Kong Ocean In Motion Film Festival on April 13th at the Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong as part of the Conscious Festival to celebrate Earth Day. Come get Oceanized, without getting wet!
For Cambodia, special thanks to our sponsors, the Rosewood Hotel in Phnom Penh, and Treeline Urban Resort in Siem Reap. Venue Partners: Meta House, Bambu Stage and Village Cafe.
In Bangkok, special thanks to our main sponsors: Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), United Nations Environment, and supporting sponsors (Hilton Hotel Phuket and Hilton Sukhumvit, Cafe Del Mar, Chang Chui and Le Meridien), with supporting organizations (Phuket Hotel Association and Sustainable Brands Bangkok), along with the Bangkok School for the Blind where we had a special screening for the visually impaired community.
Istanbul, Turkey - July 2018. Special thanks to Bahar Ozay, Bogazici University, WWF Turkey and The Stay hotel group in Turkey, for also helping to support this event.
Bangkok and Siem Reap were hosts to their first Ocean In Motion Film Festivals in December 2017.
FILM PREVIEW LIST FOR SCREENINGS CAN BE SEEN HERE.
Join us for three days of the Bangkok and Siem Reap Ocean In Motion Film Festivals to enjoy some amazing ocean films that will inspire, excite, and enterain. One of the main features, among many other short films will be a screening of the new documentary “One Shot,” the life of Russell Ord, a West Australian world renowned surf photographer as he embarks on a mission to capture 'one shot' that defines who he is. An inspiring journey about taking a chance, following your dreams and living a life without restrictions. You only get one shot at life…you have to live it as best you can. Thanks to Russell Ord for the amazing images!
The event in Bangkok will culminate with a specially curated Ocean Experience performance, created for the Free Form Festival, which will include a live performance by Jonas Dept, who will play piano to a story about the ocean, along with clarinetist Hannelore Vermeir, currently playing with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Jonas has performed as a soloist in multiple venues and festivals including Burapha Music and Performing Arts Festival, Goethe Institut, Payap University, Low Fat Art Fest, Mahidol University, Alliance Francaise while he was also listed as official pianist for UK Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and Imperial Ballet (ISTD), taking him to numerous countries over four continents. Thanks to Thonglor Art Space, Jonas composed his first musical “Cocktails - The Musical” with lyricist Pitch Witwisit (Band August), which was awarded BEST MUSICAL 2016 by the International Association of Theater Critics.
More information can be found on the Free Form Facebook page or on BBKSR's site. The event is brought to you by Ocean Recovery Alliance, and NGO based in Hong Kong, with Red Carpet Sponsorship from Braiform, and hotel sponsorhip from the Hilton Sukhumvit.
Information on the Screenings for 2015 is listed below, with some great trailers for reference.
2014 Film Festival information below
We're proud to have collaborated with The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and their MOTIVIC program for the world's first screening of an ocean film festival for the visually impaired community. Students from CUHK held a special screening of ocean documentaries for the visually impaired as part of the third Annual Hong Kong-San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival. MOTIVIC, the student led social service project under the University’s I•CARE Programme, took five documentaries on ocean protection and marine animals, dubbed them in Cantonese and inserted live audio description to help the visually impaired better understand and visualize the films. All the participants have enjoyed a great adventure into the ocean together without visual or language boundaries.
We hope you were able to see the Ocean Art Walk in Stanley last year, put together by our great partner, the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation who created a series of outdoor sculptures, exhibits and dances at the Stanley Waterfront, with the them of "The Ocean and You". The exhibit was displayed for four weeks, from April 12th - May 4th.
See our 2013 Trailer below, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook!
