International Ocean Film Tour 2025: Great water sports cinema with inspiring films

The International Ocean Film Tour Vol. 11 returns with a host of impressive films and stories to inspire and share.

One highlight of the programme is "Row of Life", the story of Angela Madsen, a former para-olympian who embarks on one last adventure in pursuit of her lifelong dream. The programme also includes the documentary "Kelp!", which shows the innovative diversity of the seaweed of the same name and highlights its potential for agriculture, fishing and biofuels.

"Nika" presents an environmental portrait of a special friendship between humans and animals, while "Triology: New wave" shows the best surfers in the world, including Ethan Ewing, Griffin Colapinto and Seth Moniz, in action on the water. The film "7 beats per minute" takes you diving into another world: it shows the incredible depths that apnoea diver Jessea Lu can reach.

The premiere of the Ocean Film Tour Vol. 11 kicked off yesterday in Hamburg at the Laeiszhalle, followed by over 180 events on the tour schedule. Read here which adventures of unusual water sports enthusiasts and marine conservationists can be seen on the big screen this year:

Film 1: Trilogy: New Wave

Three friends, one season & the search for the perfect break: Ethan Ewing, Griffin Colapinto and Seth Moniz are among the world's best surfers. The three exceptional talents have been meeting up at competitions since their youth and are now embarking on a surf trip together.

In the film you visit a series of dream destinations with Ethan, Griffin and Seth - and get to the bottom of the question of how friendship can work despite competition and increasing pressure to perform and how you can keep your love of surfing.

Film 2: 7 beats per minute

Jessea Lu can stay underwater for over eight minutes - without taking a single breath. This extraordinary ability catapulted the young Chinese woman onto the world stage of apnoea sport within a very short space of time: the Vertical Blue Competition in the Bahamas, where the elite of apnoea diving gather every year. Here, Dean's Blue Hole, with a depth of over 200 metres, offers ideal conditions for top performances. Jessea, at this point still a newcomer to the sport of apnoea, also wants to prove herself here - and test the limits of her own body.

But the fine line between life and death that Jessea walks in these depths becomes the toughest test of her life for the athlete. In the film, you dive into the depths of the oceans, into the extraordinary world of competitive freediving and into the psyche of apnoea diver Jessea Lu.

Film 3: NIKA - The Pilot Whale

On an observation mission off the coast of Tenerife, marine biologist Felipe Ravina makes the acquaintance of a particularly curious and almost trusting pilot whale: Nika. For Felipe, who has been documenting marine life in this part of the Atlantic with his friends Mirna and Sergio for several years, it is a fascinating experience. Pilot whales are intelligent, but actually rather reserved towards humans. The conservationists cannot explain why Nika is so interested in Felipe. However, the extraordinary encounter encourages him and his friends to protect his habitat, which is currently under threat from mass tourism and environmental destruction, at all costs.

Film 4: Row of Life

Angela Madsen, a former Paralympian, wants to row from California to Hawaii. She has already mastered several ocean crossings as part of a team, but for this project she wants to take on the challenge all by herself. For Angela, rowing solo is the logical consequence of her previous successes, in which she has repeatedly tested her physical and mental limits.

In Row of Life, you experience her ocean adventure up close and get to know an extraordinary woman who has had to battle setbacks all her life, but has never lost her zest for life or her sense of humour.

Film 5: Kelp!

The green gold of the seas: On board the Gleaner, young filmmaker Caylon La Mantia and her crew set off in search of the hidden treasure of the British coast: KELP! Their mission? To explore the fascinating world of this remarkable seaweed. Among the rugged cliffs of the British coastline, the team meets inspiring visionaries and discovers a surprising truth: in the fight against climate change, kelp could be our greatest ally.

• Tickets and further information is available on the website of the International Ocean Film Tour.