How is the One World One Ocean Campaign different from other organizations dedicated to the ocean?

There is an impressive international array of organizations that are working to help protect and restore the ocean’s health — many are our partners! The One World One Ocean Campaign is different in its experience and use of multi-media — film, television and educational programming — as its focus to build awareness and inspire action. We work with an established network of 200 science museums and IMAX Theaters in 32 countries that reach out to and are trusted by millions of people. We are also sharing our footage and photography with other organizations to help with their important campaigns.

Here is an example of our campaign having a huge impact on the worldwide awareness of an ocean issue.


Is One World One Ocean a non-profit?

No. The One World One Ocean Campaign is proud to be a for-purpose campaign of MacGillivray Freeman Films, Inc. We are set up this way because we can operate more efficiently, incentivize partnerships, reinvest our proceeds and use our capital to advance our mission of protecting the ocean.

If you are interested in making a tax-deductible donation, there is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called the One World One OceanFoundation. They support some of our mission-oriented work, in addition to the work of other ocean-related groups. The campaign and the foundation work in tandem toward a shared purpose of protecting and restoring the health of the ocean.


Why use IMAX Theatre films as the foundation of your campaign?

IMAX Theatre audiences say that IMAX Theatre films “are the next best thing to being there.” This quality – giving people a real experience – makes IMAX Theatre films a unique and memorable educational vehicle. Independent evaluations of IMAX Theatre films have also shown these high-impact films inspire people to act, whether it’s joining a museum, getting more information at a bookstore or library, or picking up litter on a beach. The key for us is high-quality, trusted experiences that inspire people to act. IMAX Theatres and films do that.


There are so many problems with the ocean, will you be able to solve them?

After consulting with numerous environmental experts and scientists, we’ve focused our campaign on areas where we can have the greatest impact as a consumer-centric campaign – all related to restoring the ocean’s health over the next 10 years – beginning today.


Why is it critical to reach your goals in the next ten years?

Sylvia Earle, the renowned marine scientist, National Geographic explorer in residence, and advisor to One World One Ocean, says that we’re reaching a “tipping-point.” If we don’t change the way we treat our oceans soon, some ocean species will disappear completely and the web of ocean life will tear apart. In some areas, that tipping-point is coming in 5 years, in other places 15 years, but we know that the next decade is critical.


Will you lobby governments or fisheries?

No. Our campaign is directed at getting individuals involved – to inspire people to act out of self-preservation. We’ll then direct these advocates to other organizations that will do the negotiating, lobbying, and the writing of laws to increase ocean protected areas, decrease plastics pollution in the ocean and motivate people to eat sea life more responsibly.


Do films make a social or political difference?

Yes, they can. Independent groups have been studying the impact of films like “An Inconvenient Truth,” “End of the Line,” “Supersize Me,” and “Waiting for Superman.” These studies show that films can have an impact on learning, change people’s attitudes, make people more aware, and even cause them to take action.

Business leaders who watched “An Inconvenient Truth,” reported changes in their company policy as a result of seeing the film. Marks and Spencer, a UK company, created a carbon emissions program that saved 40,000 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in just one year, after company leaders saw the film.

Our film To The Arctic had a big impact on audiences (story here), with 88% of surveyed viewers saying they planned to be more environmentally sensitive about the decisions they make, after seeing the film.

Films can have an impact on world leaders as well, especially IMAX Theatre films. Mexico’s former President Vicente Fox was so moved by the IMAX Theatre film “Ocean Oasis” that he set aside marine reserves in the Gulf of California. When the King of Ghana watched “Coral Reef Adventure,” he said he was emboldened to protect his country’s reefs from siltation caused by the logging industry. Senator Mary Landrieu showed “Hurricane on the Bayou” to fellow congressmen to drive home the point that Louisiana’s wetlands are important to save.

What makes our campaign different is that we’ve committed to a long-term release of films and programming. Year after year, our films will remind people that a healthy ocean is essential to us all.