DPFF to Celebrate Documentary Filmmaking Focused on Marine Life and Surfing with a Four-Day Long Family Film Festival
March 5, 2024 (Dana Point, CA) – The Endless Summer +Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) has announced its second annual oceans film festival to be held in Dana Point focused on marine life, surfing, and our relationship with the magnificent wonder of the sea. Hosted by Endless Summer Events, the festival runs May 2-5, 2024, and promises an array of community events. Included are both free and affordable ticketed screenings with enriching cultural happenings, stirring musical performances and enlightening discussions.
The festival’s home of Dana Point, CA is nestled in the heart of a Whale Heritage Site (WHS) and is known as the “Whale and Dolphin Capital of the World” and the birthplace of “The Endless Summer.” Dana Point provides a fitting backdrop for the ocean film festival. This four-day festival focuses on documentary filmmaking that features conservation, exploration, education, ocean adventure, and the exhilarating world of surfing.
DPFF is proud to announce it will host the Dana Point premieres of some of the most anticipated surf and marine life feature films and shorts, including:
- “Uncle Bully’s Surf Skool” – A film about the power that one person has to shape a more hopeful future for the next generation. The film grants you “surf-side access” to Uncle Bully’s unique approach on the water and reaching young minds with his power of being present. The film is also a visual documentary of Lahaina, Maui, and pre-and-post-fire disaster, as well as a story of resilience.
- “The Impossible Wave” – Surfing made its debut in the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. It took one man 27 years to get it there. This is the story of Fernando Aguerre’s quest to put the sport of surfing on the world’s biggest stage.
- “SEND KELP!” – A story of hope, eco-hope, about a seaweed nerd with ambitions to help save the world by starting a kelp farm – an ambitious challenge made epic without prior knowledge or experience.
With breathtaking underwater cinematography (think, “My Octopus Teacher” meets “The Biggest Little Farm”) and a fun, quirky and compelling cast of characters, “SEND KELP!” explores the many remarkable surprises about this game-changing organism and how it, along with the efforts of entrepreneurs like Frances (a lawyer turned kelp farmer), just might help change the world.
The DPFF schedule of free and ticketed events can be found on the DPFF website here: https://danapointfilm.com/
Free Screenings at Salt Creek Beach Park May 3, 4 and 5th include:
Dana and Bruce Brown’s “Step into Liquid” on May 4th at Salt Creek Beach Park, accompanied by the harmonious tunes of surf reggae pioneers Common Sense. The enchanting animated Disney film “Moana” will screen on May 5th, complemented by authentic Hawaiian music by Kevin “Nappy” Napoleon & Kawika Kahiapo. The day will also feature hula dancing + tropical drumming performances by Heali’i’s Polynesian Revue. On May 3rd, the DPFF will have a new surf film release, to be announced. .
Inviting attendees to dive deep into the heart of oceanic passion, the DPFF offers several VIP packages for an enhanced festival experience; Salt Creek VIP tickets are available now at $70 for a single afternoon/evening or $150 for all three Salt Creek events. The Patron Pass is $225 and includes unlimited screenings at the DPFF and includes the three VIP events at Salt Creek. Individual tickets to screenings are $15 per person and, Children, Students, Educators, First Responders, and Military are discounted. Secure your tickets now at danapointfilm.com. Lloyd Bryan Molander, festival founder, and director, says, “Please come join us in a grand celebration of our oceans’ majesty and the transformative power of film.”
DPFF will host prominent global speakers that will lecture, inform, and engage the audience. The DPFF Speaker Series features world-renowned educators, filmmakers, oceanographers, climate scientists, sustainability experts, environmentalists, entrepreneurs, and conservationists, alongside surf and ocean industry leaders and icons. DPFF’s will continue its Young Filmmakers Program, whereby they will participate in a competition for local, regional, and international awards in filmmaking.
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 danapointfilm.com
Screening locations include the Dana Point Sailing Center, Salt Creek Beach Park, and The Dana Point Women’s Club, and a special VIP event(s) at Station Craft Brewery and Kitchen.
Program Details can be found on the DPFF site.
Sponsors and Supporters
DPFF has the support of Bruce Brown Films, City of Dana Point, Cityside Fiber, Cricket Wireless, Orange County Supervisor Fifth District Katrina Foley, Tequila Eterno Verano, Killer Dana Surf Shop, Station Craft, The Glenn Bushmire Team at Guaranteed Rate, Dana Wharf, Coldwell Banker, Dana Point Times, Harbor Partners, Wahoo’s Fish Taco, MERGE4, Strauss Brewing Company and Tenacity Entertainment. Nonprofit partners and beneficiaries include Ribbon for Humanity, Coastal Conservancy, Stand Up To Trash, and SurfAid.
About Dana Point Film Festival & Endless Summer Events, Inc.
The Endless Summer + Dana Point Film Festival (DPFF) is an ocean-focused film festival featuring documentaries covering conservation, exploration, education, recreation, and surfing. The DPFF is owned and produced by Endless Summer Events, Inc., a “for cause” California benefits corporation focused on bringing art and entertainment to communities around the globe.
The DPFF, founded by ocean and surf documentary filmmaker Lloyd Bryan Molander, and co-founded by Alex Mecl of Bruce Brown Films, is a celebration of the sea’s splendor through cinematic storytelling. Endless Summer Events, guided by CEO Anthony Cordova, operates with a mission to enrich communities through art and entertainment.
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Media Contacts:
Master Plan Communications, Inc.
Emily Rothberg
214.642.2928
or
Rachel Leadholm
847.602.1578