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“My heartfelt congratulations to the producers and team involved in the making of My Octopus Teacher.  You have made South Africa proud,” says Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy.

The Minister’s compliment came after My Octopus Teacher became the first documentary to win a coveted Oscar Award at the Academy Awards held in Los Angeles, early this morning South African Time.

Producers Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed walked away with the award for the documentary that tells the story of Craig Foster and his remarkable relationship with an octopus in the kelp forests along the Western Cape coast.

At a time when more and more people are focusing on the health of the oceans, the documentary raises awareness about the role kelp forests play in the ocean environment, the abundance and fragility of the marine environment and the need for a healthy marine environment to sustain a diversity of species.

The ocean makes up a little more than 70% of the earth’s surface, and South Africa has one of the longest coastlines in the world. In April 2019 South Africa Declared twenty marine protected areas covering five percent of our oceans.

My Octopus Teacher recently received the BAFTA award for best documentary and recognition from the Producers Guild of America for Best Documentary Motion Picture.

Issued by Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries