Eco-Storytelling for the Environment
The 2026 Blue Water Film Festival is proud to present “Blue Water Summit – Eco Storytelling“, a two-days event with panels and workshops such as Producing Short Content for Social Change, Sustainability: Best Practices in Production Workflow, Filming for Eco Impact, and more.
10:00am – Welcome Remarks
Greg Reitman, Founder, Blue Water Institute
10:05am – Sustainability: Best Practices in Production Workflow
Moderator: Barbara Marshall (HP), Secretary, Blue Water Institute
Speakers:
How can film productions operate efficiently while minimizing environmental impact? This conversation examines practical strategies for embedding sustainability into every phase of production—from planning through wrap—without increasing costs. Panelists share best practices for reducing waste, conserving resources, and maintaining environmental responsibility while staying on budget.
11:15am – Production: The Challenges of Shooting in Nature
Moderator: Jeffrey Lehmann, Producer
Speakers:
Filming in natural environments offers extraordinary visual rewards—but also presents complex logistical, technical, and ethical challenges. This panel explores what it takes to produce films in remote, unpredictable, and often fragile ecosystems, addressing extreme weather, access limitations, safety concerns, sustainability, and environmental impact. Filmmakers share real-world experiences and best practices for working responsibly in nature while honoring the landscapes and communities they document.
12:30pm – Fireside chat with Taj Mahal
Moderator: Greg Reitman (Founder, Blue Water Institute)
Speaker: Taj Mahal (Legendary Blues Musician)
Artists across disciplines are increasingly using their voices, platforms, and creative work to inspire social and environmental change. This panel brings together musicians, athletes, actors, and visual artists to explore how storytelling, social media, and public influence can be leveraged for advocacy. Panelists share insights into using name recognition responsibly, engaging audiences authentically, and translating visibility into meaningful impact.
1:45pm – Filming for Eco Impact
Moderator: Barbara Marshall (HP), Secretary, Blue Water Institute
Speakers:
Blue Water Film Festival proudly showcases impactful films from these filmmakers addressing urgent ecological challenges. Barbara Marshall leads an insightful discussion on crafting films that explore issues ranging from open-pit mining and exploitative manufacturing to environmental traditions and ancestral knowledge—demonstrating how storytelling can drive awareness and action.
3:00pm – An Insider’s View into the World of Animation
Moderator: Jean Thoren, Publisher, Animation Magazine & Blue Water Institute Board Member
Speakers:
This panel offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative, technical, and business forces shaping today’s animation industry. Featuring veteran studio leaders, award-winning directors, and emerging voices, the conversation explores how animated storytelling is evolving across feature films, television, independent projects, and socially impactful work. Panelists will share insights into creative development, production pipelines, education and talent pathways, and how animation can be a powerful tool for environmental and social storytelling. Attendees will gain a rare insider perspective on where the animation world is headed and how creators can navigate and contribute to its future.
9:30am –
🎥 B&H Underwater Camera Panel
From GoPro to Cinema: Capturing the Ocean Below
Join leading underwater image-makers as they explore the tools, techniques, and technologies shaping today’s underwater storytelling — from accessible GoPro systems to high-end cinema cameras like Sony VENICE, ARRI, and RED. This dynamic conversation will examine gear selection, underwater housing systems, lighting challenges, safety logistics, and workflow management, offering practical insight for creators at every level. Panelists will include an enthusiast/influencer working with consumer gear, a priority shallow-water specialist using Sony mirrorless systems with Aquatech housings (featured in a live water tank demonstration), and professionals experienced in both deep-water and cinema-level underwater production.
From surfing and freediving to large-scale studio shoots at depth, the discussion will address technical constraints, pressure management, rigging complex camera systems, and coordinating dive and production teams. Whether you’re an emerging content creator or a seasoned cinematographer, this session offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at how underwater filmmakers capture compelling ocean stories — safely, creatively, and at the highest level of craft.
PRIVATE EVENT
12:00pm – Athletes for the Oceans
Moderator: Ann Dietrich, Ph.D., UMASS Amherst, Blue Water Institute Board Member
Speakers:
Elite athletes are using their platforms, discipline, and global reach to become powerful advocates for ocean protection. This panel brings together athletes and changemakers who translate performance, resilience, and public influence into meaningful environmental action. From reducing plastic pollution and protecting marine habitats to engaging youth and inspiring lifestyle change, the discussion explores how sports and ocean advocacy intersect—and how athletes can drive awareness, policy, and impact far beyond the field of play.
1:15pm – Women of the Blue
Moderator: Kathleen Quinlan, Blue Water Institute Board Member
Speakers:
Exceptionally talented female filmmakers come together to share their perspectives on ocean conservation and environmental storytelling. Through their work, these women illuminate the health of our oceans, the future of endangered species, and the role of creativity in inspiring positive change.
Sponsored by: San Diego Explorers Club
2:30 pm – Producing Short Content for Social Change
Moderator: Laura Kutnick, Kutnick Foundation
Speakers:
Feature-length documentaries are not the only way to inspire change. This panel highlights the power of short-form storytelling—across film, digital, and social platforms—to inform audiences, spark dialogue, and drive environmental action. Filmmakers discuss their short works and how concise, targeted content can mobilize communities and influence behavior at scale.
3:45pm – An Insider’s View into the Film Festival World
Moderator: Greg Reitman, Blue Water Institute
Speakers:
Go behind the scenes of today’s leading environmental and impact-driven film festivals in this candid conversation with festival directors and programmers. Topics include film curation, premieres, audience engagement, funding, and distribution—offering filmmakers rare insight into how festivals shape climate dialogue, elevate emerging voices, and influence culture beyond the screen.
If your business is interested in an in-kind marketing partnership opportunity, please contact us
Do you have skills and interest in helping support online production please contact us
Support the oceans and contribute a silent auction item. All funds during the Blue Water Summit support oceans marine research through the Blue Water Institute.contact us
(310) 234-2583 (BLUE)
441 Saxony Rd, Encinitas CA, 92024
Blue Water Institute is a non-profit organization committed to the preservation of the planet and the need to nurture the next generation of environmental filmmakers. The Institute is driven by its environmental programs that discover, innovate and support the next generation of environmental filmmakers and thought leaders from all over the world.