The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum (SBMM) will host the Santa Barbara premiere of the documentary “She is the Ocean” from Inna Blokhina, director of the award-winning film “On the Wave.” The screening is at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22. Cost to view the film is $12, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the SBMM.
“She is the Ocean” follows nine women from around the globe and spanning all ages, who share a deep and profound love of the ocean. In making the documentary, Blokhina selected these women, ages 12-83, to create a portrait of what could be a metaphor for one woman’s ocean life through all her ages. The film will likely appeal to surf enthusiasts as well.
Following the screening, Greg Gorga, executive director of SBMM, will moderate a panel with Blokhina and a host of special guests, including Holly Lohuis, a marine biologist who works with Jean-Michel Cousteau; Cinta Hansel and her father Michael Ho, who both appear in the film.
“SBMM is excited to host this special film, highlighting the love and special connection these amazing women have with the ocean,” Gorga said.
Ocean heroes featured in the documentary include:
Teen surfing prodigy Cinta Hansel; Coco Ho, pro Hawaiian surfer and daughter of pro surfer Michael Ho; Keala Kennelly, pro surfer and winner of the WSL Barrel of the Year 2016; Andrea Moller, big wave surfer and winner of WSL Women Best Performance 2016 and Big Wave World Champion in 2019; Anna Bader, German high diver and seven-time European Champion in cliff diving; Rose Molina, free-diver and ballet dancer; Ocean Ramsey, shark conservationist and free-diver from Hawaii; Jeannie Chesser, surfing icon and mother of the late legendary surfer Todd Chesser; and Sylvia Earle, marine biologist, explorer, and the first female chief scientist of the U.S.
“We are proud to work with Inna Blokhina bringing these amazing and touching stories to audiences around the world, and we believe SBMM is the ideal partner to present this inspirational film to the Santa Barbara community,” said James Huntsman, owner of Blue Fox Entertainment which is releasing the film.
“In creating this film, I found that there is an incredibly unique story behind every woman. And every woman deserves to be heard,” said Blokhina. “For almost six years I have been collecting stories of nine amazing women to capture their incredible willpower and ability to follow their dreams no matter what.
“They taught me to dream big, believe in my dreams, and to follow your heart, follow your feelings … And now I would like to share this fabulous experience with audiences everywhere.”
Shot in 4K digital cinematography, the film captures the ocean stories in an immersive way, bringing to life every ocean encounter in breathtaking fashion, from free-swimming with sharks far below the surface, to the top of the world’s biggest waves. It is a journey of natural beauty and human empathy.
Register to see the film at https://watch.eventive.org/sheistheocean/play/5f6a59bbc90537006fe8ed89. For more information or to view the trailer, visit www.bluefoxentertainment.com.