Blue Planet goes to the DC Environmental Film Festival
Anthony White Feb 26, 2026
DC Environmental Film Festival 2026
Calling all ocean lovers! Get ready to be inspired, captivated, and moved by some of the most powerful and visually stunning ocean films hitting the screen at the DC Environmental Film Festival. This year's festival is a true celebration of our blue planet, and we've handpicked a few must-see films that are sure to resonate with every diver and ocean enthusiast.
A LIFE ILLUMINATED
Thursday, March 19 at 7:00 PM, The Burke Theatre at US Navy Memorial
A Life Illuminated follows trailblazing marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder — one of the first women in her field and one of the first humans to explore the ocean’s twilight zone — as she descends 3,300 feet into the ocean’s darkest depths. From capturing the first-ever footage of the elusive giant squid to unveiling the glowing mysteries of deep-sea bioluminescence, Edie embarks on her most daring quest yet: to document a bioluminescent phenomenon that could forever change how we understand life on Earth.
THE LAST DIVE
Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 PM, The Burke Theatre at US Navy Memorial
One of the highlights of the festival is "The Last Dive," a deeply personal and emotional documentary that follows legendary Baja figure, Terry Kennedy. Once a man with a troubled past, Terry's life was transformed by an unlikely friendship with Willy, a giant manta ray. Decades later, Terry embarks on one last journey to find his old friend and say goodbye.
HER SHARK STORY
Monday, March 23 at 6:00 PM, Georgetown Capitol Campus
This is the story of Sofia, a young marine biologist in the Galapagos who reconnects with her absent father through their shared passion for trying to save the biggest shark in the world: the Whale Shark.
Another must-see is "Solwara: Papua New Guinea Sacred Sea," which takes you on an immersive journey to one of the most biodiverse marine environments on Earth. This film showcases the stunning beauty of Papua New Guinea's reefs and the urgent need to protect these delicate ecosystems. Get ready for breathtaking underwater cinematography and an inspiring message of hope and resilience.
Following climate activist Xiye Bastida, The Way of the Whale tells the story of the gray whales of Laguna San Ignacio, a pristine nursery along Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. Tracing the whales’ epic migration from Baja to the Arctic, the film revisits the campaign that halted a massive industrial salt project and protected the lagoon, now considered one of the great environmental success stories of our time.
We follow experienced diver and cameraman Peter van Rodijnen, who has spent the past 20 years filming in oceans around the world. Initially, he thought he would primarily film large and iconic species like the basking shark, orca, and tuna in the North Sea. But he soon realized that these are only one part of a much larger and interconnected system, and that the health of the North Sea depends on all its inhabitants, from the smallest plankton to the largest shark.
