SA doccie tells curious octopus tale
NETFLIX’S first original South African documentary My Octopus Teacher hopes to inspire local and international interest in the Great African Sea Forest while creating awareness about marine conservation.
The groundbreaking documentary showcases the Great African Sea Forest off the south-west tip of the continent for the very first time and features the rare and extraordinary footage of a man’s unexpected bond with a curious little octopus.
The documentary aired on Netflix yesterday and has been captivating film festivals worldwide.
It was directed by Cape Town filmmaker and environmental journalist Pippa Ehrlich, co-directed by James Reed and produced by award-winning documentary filmmaker and co-founder of the Cape Town-based Sea Change Project Craig Foster.
Foster said the goal was to protect the marine environment by making the Great African Sea Forest a global icon.
“The aim of the Sea Change Project is to tell stories that connect people to the wild, motivating them to become part of the regeneration of our planet,” said Foster.
The multi-award winning documentary is also a collaboration between the Sea Change Project and Off the Fence Productions, based in the Netherlands.
Ehrlich said it was an overwhelming feeling knowing that millions of people all over the world were going to watch the film.
“This is very exciting for me as a film-maker, but also as a conserva
tionist. We hope that the film will inspire local and international interest in the Great African Sea Forest and that people all over the world who have access to kelp forests will be encouraged to engage with them in a meaningful way – even if it’s just taking their kids snorkelling or rock-pooling.
“We also realise that conservation is as much about looking after people as it is about protecting nature and so on an international scale, we hope that the film inspires tourists to come to South Africa and visit the sea forest because we desperately need to create jobs that do not rely on the extraction of natural resources,” she said.