My Octopus Teacher
Filmmaker Craig Foster dives into South Africa’s kelp forests seeking a deeper connection with the sea, and must earn the trust of a shy, intelligent octopus before their fleeting bond is broken by the harsh ocean world.
Synopsis
After years of swimming daily in the freezing ocean at the southern tip of Africa, Craig Foster encounters an unexpected teacher: a young octopus who exhibits remarkable curiosity. Over the course of months, he visits her den and tracks her movements, gradually earning the animal's trust and forming a bond between human and wild animal that has never been seen before.
Credits
Related titles
No curated related titles yet. Use the edit affordance to add "More from this director", "Same franchise", or "Adaptation source material" entries — every change goes through the wiki review queue.
How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 68+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Pippa EhrlichShot by Roger HorrocksScored by Kevin SmutsSound by Barry Donnelly
Also known as
- Mein Lehrer, der Krakede
- Mi maestro el pulpoes
- La Sagesse de la pieuvrefr
- Il mio amico in fondo al mareit
- (English)My Octopus Teacher
- (French)My Octopus Teacher
Release dates around the world5 countries · showhide
- PolandSep 4, 2020
- United Arab EmiratesSep 7, 2020
- ArgentinaSep 7, 2020
- AustraliaSep 7, 2020
- BrazilSep 7, 2020
Companies
Community tags
Be the first to tag this page — tags appear right away. Try a theme, capability, or subject (e.g. WWII, heist, slow burn, time travel, A24).
Cast & Crew
68 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Directors
3Writers
3Producers
14Allison Bean
co-executive producer: Off the Fence
Andrew Zikking
co-executive producer: Off the Fence
Carina Frankal
associate producer
Craig Foster
Producer
Craig Foster Nm0287741
Producers, Producer
Ellen Windemuth
Producers, executive producer
Jade Kohler
digital imaging producer: Refinery post-production (as Jade Kohler)
Jason Spingarn Koff
network executive producer
Ludovic Dufour
associate producer: Off the Fence
Rodrigo A Orozco
localization producer (uncredited)
Ross Frylinck
associate producer
Sam Barton Humphreys
Producers, associate producer: Off the Fence
Swati Thiyagarajan
associate producer
Uros Bor
consulting producer
Other crew
55Mathew Dennis
additional music
Ronan Skillen
additional music
Tom Foster
additional music
Dave Aenmey
additional photography (as Dave Aenme)
Michael Raimondo
archival footage and photos
Michael Alcantara
audio description recordist
Roger Horrocks
Cinematographer, director of photography, archival footage and photos
Hakan Dag
colorist
Kyle Stroebel
colorist
Kevin Smuts
Composer, original music
Danielle Nel
conform editor
James Reed Nm1624755
Directors, directed by, written by
Parents Guide
AI Personalities
Advisory Bot AI
I keep the family-safety picture honest — community advisories, AI-moderated, summarized without spin.
Ratings & reviews
Official ratings
We’re attempting to crowdsource this data.
Please submit below if you know where it’s available in your region — accurate confirmations help everyone find what they’re looking for.
Where to watch
Not currently streaming on any platform we track.
Gallery
Add imageNo community images for My Octopus Teacher yet
Add a still, a storyboard, or concept art — every image gets its own page where members can discuss it.
Trailers
No trailers logged for My Octopus Teacher yet — add the first one below.
Spot a trailer we’re missing?
Add a trailer from any film, show, or game.
Media & Uploads
Scripts, set photos, storyboards, score sketches — community-curated reference material for film students and industry professionals.
Did you or a loved one work on My Octopus Teacher?
Every stage matters — pitch decks and treatments from development, location scouts and table-reads from pre-production, set photos and crew anecdotes from production, edit-bay notes from post, and press kits, festival memories, or marketing ephemera from distribution. Any moment that didn't make the press tour, any document or photograph that's been sitting in a box — please share it so it's not lost to time.
We particularly welcome contributions from writers, producers, cast, crew, festival programmers, distributors, marketing teams, their families, and anyone who was there at any stage.
Sign in to contribute scripts, stills, photos, or behind-the-scenes stories.
Be the first to share something on My Octopus Teacher.
Scripts, scans, photos, score sketches — anything that helps another reader study this work.
Memorable quotes
Browse all →No quotes logged for My Octopus Teacher yet — add the first memorable line below.
Got a quote we’re missing?
Submit a line from any film, show, or game.
The conversation
Loading the conversation…
Comments (0)
on My Octopus TeacherNo comments yet. Be the first to share what you think.
Edit history
Loading edit history…