Dana Point Film Festival Launches Inaugural Oceans Film Festival

DPFF Celebrates Documentary Filmmaking Dedicated to Marine Life and Ocean Conservation with Four-Day Festival

The Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) today announced the first-annual Oceans Film Festival dedicated to filmmaking featuring marine life, ocean health, and the human relationship with this magnificent wonder. The inaugural DPFF will be held May 4-7 and feature documentary films that focus on conservation, preservation, education, and ocean adventure, as well as big wave surf films. DPFF will incorporate multiple local community cultural events, including an evening outdoor movie series, ocean art, musical guests, educational programs, speaker series, and an awards presentation with globally recognized talent.

Among the featured films at DPFF is the Dana Point premiere of "Birth of Endless Summer," which documents the birth of the surf manufacturing and publishing industry through the eyes and stories of those known as the ‘Dana Point Mafia' – surfers who recognized the beauty and potential of Dana Point. This will be the last official screening before the film is released to the public.

"We are proud to bring an extensive lineup of documentary films to the Dana Point community," DPFF founder, Lloyd Bryan Molander, said. "DPFF will showcase 40+ hours of award-winning ocean films from domestic and international filmmakers, including "Coextinction," "Selma- an Adventure from the Edge of the World," "Patrick and the Whale," and "Ground Swell: The Other Side of Fear."

DPFF will also host the ‘DPFF Speaker Series' – an interactive platform of world-renowned educators, filmmakers, oceanographers, climate scientists, sustainability experts, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and conservationists, alongside surf and ocean industry leaders and icons who will inform, engage, and motivate the audience. DPFF has teamed up with Dana Hills High School's Interact Club to inspire young filmmakers to participate in a competition for Southern California students and partnered with the Entertainment Arts Council (DPEAC) to energize the local community and attract an international audience to the festival.

Finally, DPFF will host an Ocean Art Exhibit in the Lantern District, which will feature works from some preeminent international and local artists.

DPFF's screenings and events will be held at locations throughout Dana Point, including DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach, Dana Point Parks, Dana Point Community Center, and more. There will be outdoor screenings open to DPFF members and residents of Dana Point.

For filmmakers interested in submitting their films for the Dana Point Film Festival, click here.

For more information on DPFF, visit the festival online at danapointfilmfestival.org.

Sponsors and Supporters

DPFF has the generous support of Bruce Brown Films, Cold Plunge Therapy Lounge, Dana Point Times, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Doheny Beach (hotel discounts will be offered to DPFF members, including an Endless Summer Package), Guaranteed Rate, Karl Strauss, Killer Dana, Tenacity Entertainment, Tequila Enterno Verano, private foundations, and nonprofit partners.

About Dana Point Film Festival:

The Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) is an ocean-focused film festival featuring documentaries on conservation, preservation, education, and recreation. Dana Point is the whale and dolphin capital of the world and is recognized as a Whale Heritage Site (WHS). DPFF is a nonprofit subsidiary of the Dana Point Entertainment Arts Council (DPEAC), a 501(c)(3). The Director of DPEAC is Todd Wallin, who is also one of the DPFF co-founders. DPFF was founded by ocean and surf documentary filmmaker, Lloyd Bryan Molander, who serves as DPFF's Managing Director and brings a combined passion for the oceans with operational and content expertise. Lloyd is the co-founder of the Extreme Sports Channel; he was previously on the launch team of Fox's Fuel TV and served as Chief Content Officer for Edge TV, head of programming and EP for the Outdoor Channel, and former board member of the Tahoe Reno International Film Festival.

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