My Octopus Teacher

My Octopus Teacher is a 2020 Netflix Original documentary film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, which documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest. At the 93rd Academy Awards, it won the award for Best Documentary Feature.^[2][3]

Common Octopus

My Octopus Teacher
Directed by	Pippa Ehrlich James Reed
Written by	Pippa Ehrlich James Reed
Produced by	Craig Foster
Starring	Craig Foster Tom Foster Octopus
Cinematography	Roger Horrocks
Edited by	Pippa Ehrlich Dan Schwalm
Music by	Kevin Smuts
Production companies	Off The Fence The Sea Change Project
Distributed by	Netflix
Release dates	4 September 2020 (2020-09-04) (Millennium Docs Against Gravity)[1] 7 September 2020 (2020-09-07) (Netflix)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	South Africa
Language	English

Synopsis

In 2018, Craig Foster began free-diving in a cold underwater kelp forest at a remote location in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa.^[4][5] The location was near Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula,^[6] which is exposed to the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean.^[7]

He started to document his experiences and, in time, met a curious young octopus that captured his attention. The film shows Foster's growing intimate relationship with the octopus as he follows her around for nearly a year. They form a bond where she plays with Foster and allows him into her world to see how she sleeps, lives, and eats. She frequently has to defend herself against pyjama sharks. In one attack upon her, the octopus loses an arm, and retreats to her den to recover, slowly regenerating the arm over three months. In a later shark attack, she shows an incredibly improved creativity to survive, including sticking on the shark's back. After mating with a male octopus and producing numerous eggs, she dies naturally while tending to her eggs. Later, a shark scavenges her dead body and carries it off.

Foster describes the effect of this mentorship-like relationship the octopus provided him, teaching him a lesson on the fragility of life and humanity's connection with nature.^[8] This transfers to Foster creating a deeper bond with his son, Tom Foster, as his son develops as a diver and marine biology student.

Production

In partnership with Sea Change Project, Off The Fence and ZDF Enterprises, My Octopus Teacher was executively produced by Ellen Windemuth. It was directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Cinematography was directed by underwater cameraman Roger Horrocks with footage from Craig Foster and Roger Horrocks.^[9][10] A smaller amount of underwater footage, not shown in the film, but filmed by the same pairing at the same location, had been shown previously on Blue Planet II, episode 5.^[11]

Foster was also a producer via his involvement with the Sea Change Project,^[12] and his wife, Indian environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, was production manager for the film.^[13]

The film, which Foster began filming in 2018, was years in the making and was the first South African nature documentary to be a Netflix Original.^[14]

Reception and legacy

My Octopus Teacher was released on 7 September 2020 on Netflix.^[15]

My Octopus Teacher received critical acclaim. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 95% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's critics consensus reads "A heartwarming look at the way a meaningful bond can transcend just about any barrier, this documentary will leave you asking your friends to come and see My Octopus Teacher with you."^[16] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 82% based on reviews from 5 critics.^[17]

The film was also spoofed on the Documentary Now episode My Monkey Grifter.^[18]

Accolades

Award nominations for My Octopus Teacher

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	25 April 2021	Best Documentary Feature	Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster	Won	[19]
American Cinema Editors Awards	17 April 2021	Best Edited Documentary (Feature)	Pippa Ehrlich and Dan Schwalm	Won	[20]
British Academy Film Awards	11 April 2021	Best Documentary	Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster	Won	[21][22]
Cinema Audio Society Awards	17 April 2021	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary	Barry Donnelly and Charl Mostert	Nominated	[23]
Cinema Eye Honors Awards	9 March 2021	Audience Choice Prize	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Nominated	[24]
		Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography	Roger Horrocks	Nominated
LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival	4 February 2021	Best Documentary	Pippa Ehrlich and Dan Schwalm	Won	[25]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards	16 November 2020	Best Cinematography	Roger Horrocks	Won	[26]
		Best Science/Nature Documentary	My Octopus Teacher	Won
		Best Narration	Craig Foster	Nominated	[27]
		Best Documentary	My Octopus Teacher	Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards	10 April 2021	Outstanding Directional Achievement in Documentary	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Nominated	[28]
EarthxFilm Festival	26 April 2020	Best Feature Film	The Octopus Teacher	Won	[29]
GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival	12 September 2020	Best Film	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Won
		Best Marine Film	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Won
		Best Story	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Won
		Best Independent Production	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Nominated
		Best Score	Kevin Smuts	Nominated
		Heinz Sielmann Award	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Nominated
Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival	17 December 2020	Best Documentary Director	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Won	[30]
Houston Film Critics Society Awards	18 January 2021	Best Documentary Feature	My Octopus Teacher	Won	[31]
International Documentary Association Awards	16 January 2021	Best Music Score	Kevin Smuts	Won	[32]
		Best Writing	Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed	Nominated
		Pare Lorentz Award	Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster	Won
Jackson Hole Film Festival	1 October 2020	Grand Teton Award	My Octopus Teacher	Won	[33]
		Best People & Nature Film – Long Form	My Octopus Teacher	Won
		Best Science in Nature Film – Long Form	My Octopus Teacher	Won
		Best Editing	Pippa Ehrlich, Dan Schwalm and Jinx Godfrey	Won
		Best Ecosystem Film – Long Form	My Octopus Teacher	Nominated
		Best Feature Film	My Octopus Teacher	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Roger Horrocks and Craig Foster	Nominated
		Best Original Music Score	Kevin Smuts	Nominated
		Best Audioscape	Barry Donnelly	Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards	16 April 2021	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Documentary	Barry Donnelly and Charl Mostert	Nominated	[34]
Producers Guild of America Awards	24 March 2021	Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures	Craig Foster	Won	[35]
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	11 January 2021	Best Documentary Film	My Octopus Teacher	Nominated	[36]
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards	17 January 2021	Best Documentary Feature	My Octopus Teacher	Nominated	[37]

See also

• Film portal
• Oceans portal
• South Africa portal

• Octopus vulgaris
• Terrance the octopus

References

1. "My Octopus Teacher". Millennium Docs Against Gravity. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
2. 2021|Oscars.org
3. "My Octopus Teacher" Wins Best Documentary Feature | 93rd Oscars
4. InterNewsCast (19 September 2020). "Where was 'My Octopus Teacher' on Netflix Filmed?". Internewscast. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
5. "The (K)helpful forests of South Africa". CapeNature. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
6. Allie, Mohammed (4 November 2018). "'How I became friends with an octopus'". BBC News. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
7. "Cape Point And The Waters Of False Bay..." Simonstown.com. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
8. "'My Octopus Teacher' Stuns Audiences, Reinforces Power of Nature". EcoWatch. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
9. Craig Foster. "Getting to Know an Octopus". BBC. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
10. Katy Scott (21 September 2020). "The incredible tale of a South African diver who formed an unlikely bond with an octopus". CNN. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
11. Kathryn Jeffs. "Filming the octopus Houdini in South Africa". BBC. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
12. "Projects". Sea Change Project. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
13. "SA filmmaker's documentary captivates the world". Algoa FM. 22 September 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
14. "'Octopus Teacher' Lets Filmmaker Into Secret World". Voice of America – English. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
15. "Tentacles of love: My octopus teacher, a story of an astonishing friendship". Daily Maverick. September 2020. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
16. "My Octopus Teacher (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
17. "My Octopus Teacher". Metacritic. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
18. Documentary Now! gets very mean (and very funny) with its take on My Octopus Teacher|A.V. Club
19. "Documentary Feature Oscar Nominations 2021". American Broadcasting Company. 15 March 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
20. Giardina, Carolyn (11 March 2021). "'Minari,' 'Trial of the Chicago 7' Among American Cinema Editors' Eddie Awards Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
21. "2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
22. Watch: The moment SA's 'My Octopus Teacher' wins a BAFTA (video)|The South African
23. Pederson, Erik (2 March 2021). "CAS Awards Nominations: 'Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Sound Of Metal' & 'Mank' Among Pics Vying For Sound Mixing Trophies". Deadline. Retrieved 4 March 2021.
24. "Cinema Eye Unveils Full Slate of Nominees for 14th Annual Nonfiction Honors". Cinema Eye Honors. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
25. "LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival". www.unav.edu/web/labmecrazy. 4 February 2021.^{[permanent dead link]}
26. Moreau, Jordan (16 November 2020). "'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Wins Best Feature at Critics Choice Documentary Awards". Variety. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
27. Thompson, Anne (26 October 2020). "'Crip Camp,' 'Gunda,' and 'Mr. Soul!' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
28. "DGA Awards 2021". DGA. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
29. "EarthxFilm Festival Award Winners". Earthx2020. 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2020.
30. "2020 Golden Kapok Awards Winners Announced". Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival. 17 December 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
31. Neglia, Matt (18 January 2021). "The 2020 Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) Winners". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
32. "36th Annual IDA Documentary Awards". International Documentary Association. 16 January 2021. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
33. "2020 Media Awards". Jackson Hole Film Festival. 1 October 2020. Archived from the original on 1 November 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
34. Erik Pederson (1 March 2021). "Sound Editors Nominate 'Wonder Woman', 'Sound Of Metal', 'Tenet' & Others For Golden Reel Awards – Full List". Deadline. Variety Media, LLC. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
35. Tangcay, Jazz (2 February 2021). "'Truffle Hunters,' 'Time' and 'Dick Johnson Is Dead' Among Producers Guild Doc Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
36. "San Diego Film Critics Society 2020 Awards Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
37. Neglia, Matt (10 January 2021). "The 2020 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved 26 January 2021.

External links

• My Octopus Teacher on Netflix
• My Octopus Teacher at IMDb
• Official trailer
• Sea Change Project and its The Making of My Octopus Teacher