# My Octopus Teacher

My Octopus Teacher is a 2020 Netflix Original documentary film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. It 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, the film won the award for Best Documentary Feature.

## 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. The location was near Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula, which is exposed to the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean.
Foster 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 an individual bond, and 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, the octopus loses an arm, and she then 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. This transfers to Foster creating a deeper bond with his son, Tom, as the boy develops as a diver and marine biology student.

## Production

In partnership with The Sea Change Project, Off The Fence, and ZDF Enterprises, My Octopus Teacher was executive produced by Ellen Windemuth. It was directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Cinematography was handled by underwater cameraman Roger Horrocks, with additional footage from Craig Foster and Roger Horrocks; some underwater footage, not shown in the film, but filmed by the pair at the same location, had previously been included in Episode 5 of Blue Planet II (2017).
Foster was also the film's producer, via his involvement with The Sea Change Project, and his wife, Indian environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, was the production manager.
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.

## Reception and legacy

My Octopus Teacher was released for streaming on Netflix on 7 September 2020.
The film received critical acclaim. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 44 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10; 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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The film was spoofed in the 2022 Documentary Now episode "My Monkey Grifter".

## Accolades

Award nominations for My Octopus Teacher :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Academy Awards | 25 April 2021 | Best Documentary Feature | Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster | Won |
| American Cinema Editors Awards | 17 April 2021 | Best Edited Documentary (Feature) | Pippa Ehrlich and Dan Schwalm | Won |
| British Academy Film Awards | 11 April 2021 | Best Documentary | Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster | Won |
| Cinema Audio Society Awards | 17 April 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary | Barry Donnelly and Charl Mostert | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors Awards | 9 March 2021 | Audience Choice Prize | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Nominated |
| Cinema Eye Honors Awards | 9 March 2021 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography | Roger Horrocks | Nominated |
| LabMeCrazy! Science Film Festival | 4 February 2021 | Best Documentary | Pippa Ehrlich and Dan Schwalm | Won |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 16 November 2020 | Best Cinematography | Roger Horrocks | Won |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 16 November 2020 | Best Science/Nature Documentary | My Octopus Teacher | Won |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 16 November 2020 | Best Narration | Craig Foster | Nominated |
| Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 16 November 2020 | 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 |
| EarthxFilm Festival | 26 April 2020 | Best Feature Film | The Octopus Teacher | Won |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | Best Film | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Won |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | Best Marine Film | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Won |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | Best Story | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Won |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | Best Independent Production | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Nominated |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | Best Score | Kevin Smuts | Nominated |
| GREEN SCREEN Wildlife Film Festival | 12 September 2020 | 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 |
| Houston Film Critics Society Awards | 18 January 2021 | Best Documentary Feature | My Octopus Teacher | Won |
| International Documentary Association Awards | 16 January 2021 | Best Music Score | Kevin Smuts | Won |
| International Documentary Association Awards | 16 January 2021 | Best Writing | Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed | Nominated |
| International Documentary Association Awards | 16 January 2021 | 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 |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best People & Nature Film – Long Form | My Octopus Teacher | Won |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Science in Nature Film – Long Form | My Octopus Teacher | Won |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Editing | Pippa Ehrlich, Dan Schwalm and Jinx Godfrey | Won |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Ecosystem Film – Long Form | My Octopus Teacher | Nominated |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Feature Film | My Octopus Teacher | Nominated |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Cinematography | Roger Horrocks and Craig Foster | Nominated |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | Best Original Music Score | Kevin Smuts | Nominated |
| Jackson Hole Film Festival | 1 October 2020 | 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 |
| Producers Guild of America Awards | 24 March 2021 | Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures | Craig Foster | Won |
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards | 11 January 2021 | Best Documentary Film | My Octopus Teacher | Nominated |
| St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards | 17 January 2021 | Best Documentary Feature | My Octopus Teacher | Nominated |