Celebrating World Oceans Week, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde joined the crew of the Oscar-winning documentary “My Octopus Teacher” by snorkelling and free diving in Table Mountain’s National Park Marine Protected Area.

The Netflix Original documentary film, directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster in getting to know and understand a wild common octopus in a kelp forest.

In a statement by the Premier, he said the crew taught him about their innovative Sea Change Project, which inspired the award-winning documentary, and aimed to promote human-nature connection and ocean protection.

“I had the opportunity to commend the crew on their successes, putting Cape Town on the centre stage among the international film community. I am proud to lead a Provincial Government that takes nature conservation seriously,” Winde said.

According to Winde, through Cape Nature, they work extremely hard to conserve the precious and rich biodiversity, and through their partner GreenCape, they are working to support businesses and investors in the green economy to remove barriers that will help grow a more resilient and sustainable society.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of the Sea Change Project, producer Sophie Foulkes said: “We are a team of media and science professionals dedicated to connecting people to the wild through incredible stories backed by scientific knowledge.

“We are encouraging human beings to foster a meaningful relationship with the wild, and we support all efforts to regenerate and rewild our oceans.

“Our work includes films, books, exhibitions, marine biology research through living science, and impact campaigns,” Foulkes said.

The documentary won the award for Best Documentary Feature at the 93rd Academy Awards hosted earlier this year.

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Picture: Supplied

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