Pacific Whale Foundation announces 6th Annual World Whale Film Festival
Global marine conservation nonprofit Pacific Whale Foundation presents the 6th annual World Whale Film Festival in celebration of World Ocean Day on June 8, 2022.
Funding for this event is provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority through the Community Enrichment Fund.
WWFF kicks off with an in-person event June 8 at Ocean Vodka Organic Farm and Distillery in Upcountry Maui featuring dinner, drinks and a screening of official selections.
General event tickets are $135 and VIP tickets are $225; both include food, beverages and access to online screenings. The VIP level offers a variety of additional perks, including a private cruise with WWFF filmmakers aboard a PacWhale Eco-Adventures vessel on June 9, a coveted PWF swag bag, raffle opportunities and more. Film lovers and conservationists worldwide can also stream the films online at their own leisure at just $20 per ticket from June 8- 30.
Initiated six years ago by late PWF Founder Greg Kaufman and PWF Documentary Filmmaker Selket Kaufman as a platform for emerging and seasoned filmmakers aligned with the organization’s mission to protect the ocean through science and advocacy and inspire environmental stewardship, WWFF invokes the power of storytelling to promote awareness of environmental stories around the globe.
Since its inception, the festival has remained true to its roots with an enduring emphasis on films that address ocean and wildlife conservation, environmental stewardship, indigenous ecological knowledge and other relevant themes that raise awareness of major threats impacting nature and humankind.
Over the years, WWFF has earned a reputation for excellence among nature and conservation-themed festivals worldwide.
At the 2020 WWFF, weeks before the global pandemic brought life to a standstill, Kaufman debuted PWF’s biopic A Voice for Whales — a labor of love honoring Greg’s legacy and life’s work — where it received not one but two standing ovations. The documentary later earned the prestigious Award of Excellence at The Best Shorts Film Competition and recognition as an official selection of the Made in Hawaii Film Festival 2020, Toronto Documentary Short Film Festival and others.
In 2021, the pandemic catalyzed WWFF organizers to augment the in-person event with an online component. This necessary shift provided an even greater opportunity for growth as the definition of community expanded to include audiences around the world that support PWF’s mission.
The hybrid festival now fully embraced, this year’s WWFF promises even greater impact with the premiere of PWF filmmaker Kaufman’s most recent work, the documentary Ocean Guardians. Riding on the heels of A Voice for Whales’ success, Ocean Guardians is the first of a series designed to tell the full story of PWF while examining major threats to marine life.
The 20-minute film documents the journey of humpback whales as they migrate between Alaska and Hawai‘i and the efforts of PWF to save them from extinction. In the face of emerging threats, the organization employs research, education and conservation methods as it races against time to restore and sustain the delicate balance between man and marine life. Ocean Guardians will accompany a slate of thoughtfully curated films that align with the organization’s mission and inspire action for a brighter, bluer tomorrow.
For more information on the World Whale Film Festival or to purchase tickets to either the in-person or online event, visit www.pacificwhale.org/filmfest/
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