One warning sign that your love of all things ocean is perhaps on the obsessive side is when you freely give-up weekends on the sofa with a cocktail in lieu of negotiating the ferry, train, and taxi needed to arrive just in time to stand in long lines with other ocean nerds anxious to watch ocean-themed movies all day. Which pretty much describes the zeitgeist behind the San Francisco Ocean Film Festival (SFOFF) which premiered last night.I'm on my way for day two of the 3-day film fest. Today is shark day with not just shark-themed films, but a panel discussion with shark scientists, researchers, film-makers, and conservationists. John McCosker! w00t!
I'll have more to say later, but I'll leave you with a trailer from last night's feature film, Pirate for the Sea, a film by Ron Colby about eco-warrior Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. You can love him, or you can hate him, but you can't ignore him. The film went deep into the personality, mind, and life of the man that programs such as Animal Planet's Whale Wars simply don't have the time or interest to explore.
At 106 minutes, the documentary was fascinating but I found it dragging (or lost?) at more than a few points. In trying to showcase the breadth of Watson's ocean conservation campaigns (seals, sharks, whales, and more) there wasn't a smooth transition from place to place or even from one time period to the next. In particular, Watson's legal troubles that were depicted in Costa Rica felt like it stalled the pace of the movie. I found myself checking my watch which is never a good sign while in a theatre. Despite the stalling points, the film was an amazing exploration of an amazing man.
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