2010 Oceans Film Festival – Part 2

The second night of the film festival was just as good (if not better) than the first night. Once again, I went with my friend Robert and got to sit up in the balcony. Unfortunately, we were a tad bit late, so didn’t get to see the beginning of the first film – which was a bummer because it was my favorite out of all the films. It was called Rowing the Atlantic and told the amazing story of this woman from London who rowed 3,000 across the Atlantic Ocean all by herself. It was a fantastic film and an unbelievable accomplishment - she confronted storms that broke every one of her oars before she even reached the halfway point as well as claiming her camping stove, stereo, and cockpit navigation instruments; she battled grueling physical conditions, extreme isolation, and months of solitude – not even a bird or an insect to keep her company.

The next film was In Awe of the Shark which interviewed some of the world's leading marine biologists to hear their passionate plea to rethink the shark. There was, again, some amazing footage of all kinds of sharks: Hammerheads, Great Whites, Tiger Sharks, you name it – even some Whale Sharks, which are my favorites. Sharks in general have a bad reputation (thanks to my favorite movie of all time: JAWS) and are quickly becoming endangered.

The third film of the evening was another one that I just didn’t get. It was called The Comfort of Cold and told the story of a 75-year old man who routinely swims out to Alcatraz and back, twice a day. While it’s impressive that a 75-year old man is in such good shape, I do have to wonder about his mental conditions – I personally would think twice about swimming in those waters: they’re not only cold but are not the cleanest waters in the world, either.

After the 15-minute intermission, we got going on the fourth film of the evening: Acid Test: The Global Challenge of Ocean Acidification. This one was created by the Natural Resources Defense Council and was narrated by Sigourney Weaver – both of whom I like and support. It talked about the acidification of our oceans and what will happen if it continues.

A View from Below was the last film of the night, and I have to admit I just plain didn’t like it. Karl Stanley, an eccentric deep sea explorer, takes his homemade submarine to unprecedented ocean depths in search of creatures never seen before. He even rents it out to paying customers, and takes them down with him. The reason I didn’t like it is mostly because of him: he is a confrontational type of guy who enjoys arguing and getting in people’s faces. Not my kind of person at all – but I have to admit I’d love to go down there!

The films started much later this time than the previous day, so by the time they were over it was 10:00. On the way out of the parking lot we came across a man whose truck had died, so Robert stopped to help him – which meant I didn’t get home till around 11:00 and went straight to bed.