San Diego UnderSea Exhibition

by Nina Boutsikaris | Published September 24, 2007

As relatively low-cost HD video cameras continue to reach the market, natural cinema has the potential to be more startlingly beautiful and full of more visual information than ever before. That’s just the type of experience one can look forward to at this year’s San Diego UnderSea Film Exhibition. What started out as a few local divers sharing information on shooting and editing underwater footage has evolved into a nationally recognized two-day screening program of the best videos of weird and wonderful undersea life.

The 8th annual exhibition will be held in Qualcomm Hall’s beautiful state-of-the art digital projection theater in San Diego, and will emphasis the joy and appreciation of life in our oceans. One can expect a huge diversity of underwater films highlighting marine life from around the globe, including great white sharks from Guadalupe and South Africa, beautiful manta rays, super tiny pygmy sea horses from Indonesia, an exploration of WWII sunken wrecks, as well as films that highlight the destruction of the reefs, finning of sharks and other underwater films with a variety of themes.

With a supportive and uncompetitive approach, the main goal of the event is to bring people together for the fun of sharing films with a receptive audience. “Over the years,” says Steve Douglas, one of the original organizers of UFEX, “a number of us have fought hard to keep the film fest completely non-profit, the tickets affordable and the emphasis on appreciation of underwater imaging shown in a great venue.” Still, with a five-minute limit on all film entries, you better be a good storyteller with a keen eye to make it past the top-notch judges, all of whom are accomplished professionals in the imaging and media field.

Visit http://sdufex.com for more information on how you can go under the sea!