Ocean Film Festival

 

 

🌊 Mission Green Global Ocean Film Festival

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Mission Green Global is thrilled to announce the launch of the Ocean Film Festival, in partnership with Bow Seat’s 2026 Ocean Awareness Contest. This program invites youth to tell their stories of how the ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us — through film.

Films will first be screened at Mission Green Global’s Ocean Film Festival (online and in-person at our international chapters), where they will receive audience and judge feedback. Students can then revise their films before submitting them to Bow Seat’s international competition.

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📽️ How It Works

Workshops (Fall 2025 – Winter 2026)

Not sure how to start? We’ve got you covered. Our workshops guide you step by step in filmmaking:

• September: Storyboarding & finding your ocean connection (theme exploration)

• October: Plot buildup & film creation

• December: Editing, sound, & rough cuts

Workshops run 4x a month (2nd & 4th Saturday & Sunday, 45–60 minutes each).

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Festival Submissions

• Deadline: February 1, 2026

• Short films: 5–7 minutes recommended

• Any style welcome: documentary, animation, live-action, stop motion, experimental

• Films are showcased across our online platform and at local chapter festivals

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Feedback & Growth

• March 2026: Films receive critiques from judges and peers

• April 2026: Film revision & improvement period (3rd week)

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Bow Seat Submission

• Final Deadline: June 9, 2026

• Students submit polished films to Bow Seat’s global Ocean Awareness Contest for recognition, awards, and international visibility

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🌊 Themes to Explore

Your film should connect to one or more of these guiding themes:

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Sustain

The ocean feeds us, fuels the water cycle, and produces more than half the oxygen we breathe. But sustaining us means we must sustain it in return.

• How does the ocean provide for you or your community, beyond just food and resources?

• What traditions or cultural practices highlight reciprocity with the ocean?

• What barriers stand in the way of a balanced relationship, and how might we overcome them?

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Protect

The ocean shields us from storms, absorbs carbon, and stabilizes our climate. But it cannot carry these burdens forever.

• How can we work with nature (like mangroves or reefs) to protect ourselves from disasters?

• What would the world look like without these natural buffers?

• How does protecting the ocean protect justice, resilience, and survival for all?

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Inspire

From myths and sea shanties to biomimicry and modern art, the ocean has always inspired us. What happens if we lose that inspiration?

• How has the ocean shaped stories, culture, or technology you love?

• What ocean characters or legends resonate with you today?

• What innovations, designs, or art forms owe their brilliance to the sea?

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A LITTLE ABOUT OUR PARTNERs, BOW SEAT and all things environmental film festival

The 2026 Ocean Awareness Contest from Bow Seat– Your Story, Our Ocean – encourages you to explore the many ways our ocean sustains, protects, and inspires us. Bow Seat invites you to think about your personal connection to the ocean – whether you’re coastal or landlocked – through the value it brings to your life. The benefits of the ocean are widespread and multi-faceted, from food production to climate regulation to artistic inspiration. 

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ALTEFF is an international organization based in India dedicated to showcasing climate films. They will be supporting MGG in curating and showcasing youth-led ocean films across the world.​

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🎬 Why Join?

• Tell your story: Share your unique connection to the ocean — no matter where you live.

• Build skills: Learn storyboarding, filming, editing, and digital advocacy.

• Be part of a movement: Join a global community of creators using art to inspire climate action.

• Gain recognition: Films are showcased at Mission Green Global’s festival, then submitted to Bow Seat’s international contest.

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📚 Resources for Creators

To support your film journey, we recommend:

• Bow Seat Resource Studio – guides on climate change, ocean conservation, and using art for advocacy

• Past Winners Hub – view past winning films to spark ideas and learn from other creators

• Mission Green Global Workshops – hands-on practice with storyboarding, filming, and editing

• Film Toolkit – tips on scripting, camera angles, soundscapes, and editing basics

• Community Feedback Sessions – opportunities to share rough cuts and receive constructive critiques

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Relevant Art from Bow Seat's Ocean Awareness Contest:

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/rise-again-2/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/creating-the-cities-of-the-sea/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/painting-for-hope/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/life-with-water/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/flooded-world/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/connect/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/coral-care-2/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/the-circle-of-hope/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/what-the-duck/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-world-with-ocean/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/the-other-side-of-the-ocean/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/squeezed-out/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/obscure/

• https://bowseat.org/gallery/guardian-of-the-seas/

 

 

✨ The Ocean Film Festival is more than just a showcase — it’s a space where young voices shape the future of our blue planet. Your story matters, and the world is ready to hear it.