Ocean Days, now in its seventh year, moved to Paris and turned film, science and a late-night dance party into a case for saving the sea
On Tuesday night in Paris, a coral reef appeared beneath the Inverted Pyramid at the Carrousel du Louvre. It was made entirely of flowers and plants.
The installation, billed as the world’s largest “Floral Reef,” was the centerpiece of the 7th Annual Ocean Days Festival, which ran September 27 through 30. It recreated the color and density of a living reef at a time when real ones are disappearing around the world. Wildlife photographs by Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen lined the space around it.
The reef was presented by Random Good, the festival’s presenting sponsor. The company makes documentaries and other stories about the environment and runs a philanthropic arm, the Random Good Foundation. Random Good gave all ticket proceeds from the festival to its environmental programs, which fund ocean conservation research, filmmaking, and science.
“People protect what they love,” said Randy Gebhardt, Random Good’s founder and CEO. “Film, music and art are how you get them to fall in love with the ocean.”
This was Ocean Days’ first year in Paris after several editions in Bordeaux, and it was held under the High Patronage of the President of the French Republic. Each of the four days had its own focus.
It began Sunday with film. At MK2 Odéon Saint-Germain, a sold-out crowd watched The Last Dive, Random Good’s marine documentary, and then stayed for a Q&A with the filmmakers. The film had arrived from San Diego, where its premiere run also sold out. Random Good says a U.S. theatrical tour and wider release are coming later this year.
Monday was about science. At the Maison de l’Océan, marine explorers and climate scientists led panels built around a blunt question: “The Ocean is calling us. Who is still listening?”
Tuesday’s gala began with a private forum hosted by French environmental journalist Hugo Clément, where scientists, explorers and athletes spoke. At 10 p.m. the doors opened to the public, and electronic acts Synapson, Upsilone and Lancelot played under the pyramid until 1 a.m.
Gebhardt said the mix was the point. “Caring for the planet isn’t only for activists,” he said. “It belongs to everyone.”
The festival ended Wednesday at the Atelier des Lumières with immersive marine visuals and digital art projected across the venue’s walls.
