The 15th annual San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival (SFIOFF) at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture features four days of exhilarating, ocean-themed independent film screenings, filmmaker question-and-answer (Q&A) sessions, panel discussions, and the Seventh Annual SFIOFF Student Film Competition for middle and high school students. View the complete schedule and the official 2018 trailer.

The SFIOFF screens close to 50 films from around the globe; ranging from shorts to feature-length work, live-action documentaries, and animated films. Films focus on fascinating ocean animals — eels, herring, lionfish, manta rays, pelicans, porpoises, sharks, starfish, turtles, whales, sea birds, and even fishing bats.

Explore amazing marine environments such as coral reefs, sea caves, remote archipelagos, and waters around Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Cuba, Indonesia, Latvia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the U.S., and other locations. Special programs investigate marine eco-issues and activities including rising sea levels, the maritime refugee crisis, plastic and mining pollution, invasive species, diving, surfing, and the relationships of indigenous cultures with the sea.

Admission to the SFIOFF comes in a variety of passes and individual ticket prices. The opening night party and film progam costs $60. Individual program tickets for all the films in a single program range from $8 to $18. The all-day Saturday pass confers access to four film programs at prices ranging from $24 to $54. The all-day Sunday pass includes the Student Film Competition screenings, and admission to two film programs at a cost of $12 to $27.

The $180 film pass grants access to all film programs, panel discussions, and filmmaker Q&A sessions, including Sunday events at San Francisco’s Roxie Theater and the Lark Theater in Larkspur, Marin County, CA. The $220 festival pass provides admission to everything in the $180 film pass, plus the opening night party and program. The Student Film Competition program on Sunday, March 11, 10:00 a.m. is free, but advance registration is required.