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The Race to 30x30 with Sylvia Earle – Andy Mann (UK) 4 min.

Sylvia Earle makes an urgent call to push world leaders to achieve the 30×30 goal, explains its importance and how we can save the planet by protecting our ocean.

Changing Seas: Whales in a Plastic Ocean – Alexa Elliott (USA) 27 min.

Far out in the eastern Atlantic, the Portuguese island of Madeira rises from the depths of the open ocean. Despite its remote location, the archipelago is impacted by floating plastic trash. Researchers with MARE-Madeira study the effects plastics, and their chemical compounds, have on the health of marine mammals that frequent local waters.

Coral in Focus – Quentin van den Bossche (Fiji, South Korea, USA) 18 min.

Coral reefs are disappearing because of climate change. In Fiji, a group of scientists, engineers, nonprofits and islanders are trying to help. Some are replanting corals in parts where they are bleached or have disappeared. And technologic partner Samsung has created ‘Ocean mode’, so that people can scan the ocean floor and determine which areas they need to focus on. – NS

Monterey Bay White Sharks – Kip Evans and Dr. Barbara Block (USA) 15 min.

Off the Central California coast renowned Monterey Bay area scientist Dr. Barbara Block and her team are using the latest technology to uncover some of the most amazing secrets of great white sharks. Directed by National Geographic photographer Kip Evans, the goal of this film is to not only raise awareness but to advance research, conservation and the protection of great white sharks and their marine ecosystems. – AB

Stone Biters: Saving the Arctic Sea Forests – Ismaele Tortella (Norway) 20 min.

A beautifully moving story about determination and surprises found along the way. Novice Italian scuba diver Ismaele braves the icy waters of Norway to become certified in an attempt to film the iconic wolffish. What he discovers is an ocean floor stripped bare, where once thriving sea forests have mostly vanished. He unravels the mystery of the missing kelp and meets a group of individuals rooted in resilience, restoration and hope, determined to save the ecosystem. – AB

The Human Side of Plastic: Abby Barrows – Andrew Lynch, Ben Ayers and Rush Sturges (USA) – 18min.

Deer Isle, Maine is home to one of the world’s most productive lobster ports. However, warming waters and invisible microplastic pollution threatens the future of lobster there. Through the lens --and commitment--of the filmmaker, Abby Barrows seeks to find solutions to the plastic crisis in her own community on Deer Isle. Together with a father and daughter who work as lobster fishers, they reimagine fishing without the use of plastics to make fishing more sustainable. – GB

Replanting a Garden – Anthony W. Wallace (Canada) 15 min.

After a devastating coral bleaching event, Jamaican fishers, scientists, and wardens unite to restore their reef and their livelihoods. Replanting a Garden follows the Oracabessa Bay Fish Sanctuary as they replant resilient coral, protect fragile waters, and rebuild community—revealing how caring for the ocean strengthens both ecosystems and the people who depend on them. – DML

Juan Fernández UNOC Announcement – Andy Wann (UK, USA) 7 min.

At the third plenary session, Chile announced its commitment to ocean protection by expanding Juan Fernández MPA. This effort will add 350,000km² of protection. With this, Chile’s EEZ protection will go over 50%, placing it among the world’s leading ocean guardians.

The Bottom Line – Ben Mallaby (UK) 2 min.

This entertaining and eye-opening short is filmed at a restaurant. The dinner guest asks the waiter if the fish is caught sustainably and he responds it is. Then the waiter explains the way that fish are being caught in the UK (including marine protected areas) and the impact it has, something that clearly the guest wasn’t aware of. – NS

Life on the Edges – Stories from the Frontlines of Climate Resilience – Andi R Cross and Adam Moore (Australia, USA) 23 min. *Feature*

The edges of Earth that is - across 45 countries and a time span of three years, this expedition set out to explore some of the planet’s most remote and rapidly changing ecosystems - both above and below the waterline. Traveling by sailboat to some of the most remote places on Earth, we learn that the future is already being built in some of the most unexpected places by the most unexpected people, and climate resilience is already happening. Known as positive deviance, it’s an enviable adventure to beautiful places around the world. -AB