The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is bringing a night of captivating ocean-themed films to the Amey Theatre, Abingdon, on 09 October.
Now in its 13th year, the touring festival presents a collection of short films exploring the ocean from different perspectives, from extraordinary expeditions and encounters with marine life to the people working to protect the seas.
One of the highlights of this year’s programme is The Raftsmen, a 43-minute film about an extraordinary Pacific Ocean expedition that began in 1973.
Twelve adventurers from seven countries set out to cross the Pacific on three handmade wooden rafts. Largely inexperienced at sea, the crew faced storms, sharks, hunger and the psychological pressures of spending months together on the open ocean.
The six-month expedition became the longest raft expedition ever completed. Fifty years later, previously unseen footage from the journey has been restored in 4K, bringing the story of the expedition to the screen.
The programme also includes Granny Grommets, a nine-minute film celebrating a group of older surfers, some in their 80s, who continue to take to the waves each week.
In Tides of Life, audiences are taken to Uruguay, where entrepreneur Richard Tesore has established the country’s first rescue and rehabilitation centre for marine mammals. The 16-minute film follows his work caring for injured penguins, sea lions, otters and other wildlife.
Nell Teasdale, UK tour director of the Ocean Film Festival World Tour, said the festival was intended to celebrate the ocean while drawing attention to its vulnerability.
“The ocean connects all of us,” she said.
The Ocean Film Festival World Tour will take place at the Amey Theatre in Abingdon on Friday 09 October 2026.
Tickets and further information are available from the Ocean Film Festival.
