Underwater Film Festival 2009

Special Premiere

World Premiere of Festival

“Into the Abyss” (52 min) this National Geographic documentary is the product of the Inner Space Speciation Project conducted in the Celebes Seas, Philippines in 2007. Expedition leader Emory Kristof led a team of explorers to explore the open sea to the deep sea – the first vertical survey from surface to beyond 2.5km.

Antibes - Current Winners

Superfish (52 min)

SPECIAL PUBLIC PRIZE - PLANETE THALASSA PRIZE

Richard ROSENTHAL, Wild Logic Inc. [United States]

Humpbacks - Cracking the Code (50 mn)

ALBERT 1st MONACO OCEANOGRAPHIC FOUNDATION PRIZE

Danny OPITZ, Parthenon Entertainment [Germany]

Crude (90 mn)

INFORMATION & NEWS PRIZE

Richard SMITH, Australian Broadcasting Corporation [Australia]

Submarine - Mission Impossible (46 mn)

PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL DOCUMENTARY

Crispin SADLER, Steve WESTH, ITV WEST [Great Britain]

Secrets of the reef (82 min)

PRIZE FOR THE BEST MUSICAL ADAPTATION

Jonathan BIRD, Jonathan Bird Productions [United States]

The Pier (10 min)

GOLD PRIZE - SMY Ondina Prize - BRIGITTE CRUICKSHANK PRIZE

Daniele IOP [Italy]

Gimme a hug (14 min)

BRONZE PRIZE

Geert DROPPERS, Protect The Sharks Foundation [Netherlands]

Manta Ray, the giants’ rest (Italian with english subtitles – 16 min))

SPECIAL PUBLIC PRIZE

Gian Maria MAZZA [Italy]

Attack of the Sea Slugs (6 min)

DIMITRI REBIKOFF PRIZE

Williams CHAMP [United States]

On the other side of the Surface (10 min)

FICTION PRIZE

Daniele IOP, Enrico BORTOLOTTI, Asd Friulana Subacquei [Italy]

A Mardi gras-like an International Underwater Imagery Festival, a day to Celebrate!

Significantly manifesting the official proclamation in 2008 by the President of the Republic of the Philippines, Her Excellency, Gloria Arroyo, who declared the month of June to be the Celebrate the Sea month and the second Saturday in every June to be the Celebrate the Sea Day.

Now into its 8^th year, the Celebrate the Sea Festival is confirmed for Manila this June with the added fervour of being the 2^nd official Celebrate the Sea Day in the Philippines

The festival’s success in 2008 received participation from a global audience of novice and professional competitors, children, nature and ocean lovers, celebrated luminaries such as five times Emmy award winner, Stan Waterman, National Geographic explorer Emory Kristof, founder of the world Underwater Picture Festival Daniel Mercier, five times world record free diving champion Frederic Buyle, to name but a few. In collaboration with the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippines Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), OceanNEnvironment looks forward to the biggest and most exciting festival ever to be staged in the Asia Pacific.

Adding to the highlights of this year’s activities, is the Mardi gras-like event of the ocean’s flora and fauna which will be gaily symbolised and paraded by participants from all the provinces of the Philippines. “This is the first ever mardi gras-like event of the sea that will be filled with music and dancing in the streets of Roxas Boulevard, to the soul and rhythmic beat of the unique spirit of the Filipino people, that never fails to leave a fun-filled and lasting memory”.,assured Under Secretary, Cynthia Carrion. Confirmed to attend the 2009 festival, are international luminaries and underwater photography legends from the National Geographic, David Doubilet and Jennifer Hayes, BBC’s Blue Planet & Planet Earth Cinematographer Peter Scoone, deep sea explorer and inventor Phil Nyutten PhD, coral spawning discoverer Carden Wallace PhD and many more associates of the Ocean Geographic Society.

Celebrate the Sea has seen the greatest increase in competitors since its inception in 2002 with over 5500 entries from 38 countries in 2008. The 2009 festival is destined to be bigger and bolder than ever before. The main venue for the 3-day festival, from 12 to 14 June is once again, the landmark at Manila Bay’s foreshore, the Manila Ocean Park, the Philippines’ first state-of-the-art Oceanarium comprising of an open water marine habitat, boutique mall, and restaurants.

With the Philippines as our role model, being the first ever to declare an official day to celebrate the sea, the primary objective of the festival still remains: to have every country in the world dedicate a day to remember and celebrate the sea - like a Christmas or a New Years day. If and when it is achieved, then most certainly the current dreadful state of the sea will have hope redeemed for the coming generations of humanity. For now, Celebrate the Sea is the biggest underwater picture festival outside of Europe where the ‘World Festival of Underwater Pictures’ (Festival Mondial de l'Image Sous Marine) is staged annually in Antibes, France, now in its 36^th year. Celebrate the Sea festival is seen as the dominant platform to promote conservation, marine tourism, providing education and entertainment to create a greater awareness of our ocean environment. The world’s best marine images and films have a powerful effect on both the diving and non-diving community.

The 2009 festival will comprise of imagery presentations and seminars by a panel of celebrated underwater luminaries, image makers and marine scientists. One of the principal highlights is the International Underwater film festival; 15 recent award winning features from the World Festival of Underwater Pictures, Antibes will be presented at Celebrate the Sea. There will also be a photo exhibition of benchmarked underwater images by some of the world's best underwater photographers, including all the prints in the competition.

Photographers and films makers, send in your entries now to compete in Asia Pacific's most prestigious international underwater imagery competition where the premier prize is the conferred title of ‘President, Grand Award of Highest Achievement 2009’ with US$2000 as prize money. (www.CelebratetheSea.com). It gets even better if you are visiting the Philippines any time from 15 Feb to 15 May; stay or dive with one of the participating resorts / operators and you will be eligible to enter your pictures in the WOW Philippines Imagery competition.

The Hi Five Award – for the highest scoring or the most well balanced portfolio

There will be medals, cash, equipment and holiday package prizes for all categories including the WOW imagery competitors. The cash and holiday prizes for the WOW Imagery competition is sponsored by the Manila Ocean Park and supporting sponsors.

All winners qualify as contenders for the ‘President Grand Award of Highest Achievement 2009 with a cash prize of USD2000. ROLEX is the main sponsor, supporting the hosting of Rolex’s ambassador. For more info: email cts@oneocean.com; www.celebratethesea.com

The Celebrate the Sea Festival is a non-profit event funded and produced by OceanNEnvironment Australia. The partner and principal sponsors for 2009 are the Department of Tourism, Philippines and PCSSD with Rolex continuing its unstinting support as a major sponsor since the festival’s inception