Now in its sixth year, the Oceanic Global Short Film Festival has grown from a single event into an international movement spanning 11 countries. This year’s edition, Films That Awaken New Depths, brings together short films exploring our relationship with the ocean—from discovery and coexistence to urgent reflections on what stands to be lost. Curated by a jury including Dr. Sylvia Earle, James Honeyborne, and David Maisel, the films draw audiences beneath the surface into narratives that are both deeply personal and globally resonant.
Throughout World Ocean Month and into summer, Design Hotels member properties across four continents will host screenings of the award-winning films—transforming hotels into spaces for reflection, conversation, and connection. Spanning coastlines, cities, forests, and islands, the series draws on the diversity of our global portfolio while bringing communities together through the power of storytelling.
Guests will gather against the rugged Atlantic backdrop of Memmo Baleeira, along the Greek shores of Phaea Cretan Malia, Ekies All Senses Resort, Istoria, and Parīlio, beneath the jungle canopy at Papaya Playa Project and Hotel Belmar, and overlooking the Caribbean waters surrounding Laluna and Hotel Chocolat. Elsewhere, the films will take on new resonance in the mindful urban retreat of Inhabit, across the American landscape at Timber Cove Resort and Hotel Kinsley, and in the meditative landscapes surrounding Setouchi Retreat by Onko Chishin in Japan—among a growing constellation of member properties around the world.
Onko Chishin, Setouchi Retreat, Matsuyama, Japan
The Oceanic Global Short Film Festival exists at this intersection, where art meets urgency and storytelling becomes a catalyst for change. Under the theme “Films That Awaken New Depths”, the 2026 edition reaches new audiences worldwide, bringing powerful ocean narratives from major cities to the communities where culture is shaped.
Just as only a fraction of the ocean’s depths has been explored, the films invite audiences deeper— revealing emotional, cultural, and ecological connections across three thematic categories: Human Connection, Discovery, and Living Systems. Winners of each category, along with the Grand Jury Prize, will be announced on June 10, 2026.
Location Tulum, Mexico
Date June 4, 11, 18, 25
Location Matsuyama, Japan
Date June 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27
Location Sagres, Algarve, Portugal
Date June 6
Location Monteverde, Costa Rica
Date June 12, 26
Location Crete, Greece
Date June 18
Location Vourvourou, Chalkidiki, Greece
Date June 26, 29
Location Jenner, California, USA
Date July 5-July 9
Location Healdsburg, CA, USA
Date August 9
Location Kingston NY USA
Date August 21-August 23
Location Ekas Bay, Indonesia
Date August 22
Location London, United Kingdom
Date September 3
Location Soufriere, Saint Lucia
Date September 16
Location St George's, Grenada
Date November 19
Location Paros, Greece
Date Coming Soon
Location Santorini, Greece
Date Coming Soon
Oceanic Global reminds us of humanity’s original role in Earth’s broader ecosystems and guides us in restoring equilibrium to our blue planet. The 501c3 non-profit deepens humanity’s connection to the Ocean as the lifeblood of the Earth, provides tangible solutions for resilience, and creates a blueprint for coexisting in harmony with our natural world.
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