Freedivers explore haunting shipwrecks, nomadic sailors in the icy waters of Antarctica and fmarine life such as humpback wales feature as Ocean Film Festival World Tour returns to the UEA.

Eastern Daily Press: Ray Collins pictured in a still from the film Fish People. Photo: Donald L HeddenRay Collins pictured in a still from the film Fish People. Photo: Donald L Hedden (Image: Donnie Heddon)

Wonders from above and below the ocean waves will be screened in Norwich as part of a showcase the best ocean-themed short films from all over the globe.

The Ocean Film Festival World Tour returns to the UK for its fourth edition this month and will be at the UEA's Lecture Theatre 1 in Norwich on October 7.

The event, which originates in Australia, features another selection of the world's best ocean-themed short

films, with action and footage from both above and below the water's surface.

Eastern Daily Press: The Legacy set on a remote archipelago in Mexico features footage of marine wildlife. Photo: SubmittedThe Legacy set on a remote archipelago in Mexico features footage of marine wildlife. Photo: Submitted (Image: Archant)

The 2017 film programme ranges from films about intrepid freedivers exploring haunting shipwrecks, nomadic sailors facing the icy waters of Antarctica, and features marine life such as humpback wales and the endangered Giant Pacific Mantaray.

'We're delighted to be bringing the Ocean Film Festival World Tour back to UK audiences for the fourth year

running,' says tour director Nell Teasdale.

'Featuring incredible cinematography, the films capture the raw beauty and power of the ocean, while celebrating an eclectic and fascinating mix of characters who live for the sea's salt spray.'

Eastern Daily Press: Calf humpback whale with mom seen in Whale Chasers about a whale count in New Zealand. Photo: Getty ImagesCalf humpback whale with mom seen in Whale Chasers about a whale count in New Zealand. Photo: Getty Images (Image: Seb_c_est_bien)

Previous visits to Norwich have proved to be hugely popular and highlights of the 2017 programme include Nicholas Edwards' film Sea Gypsies which follows the vessel Infinity and her crew as they embark on an extraordinary 8,000 voyage from New Zealand to Patagonia, taking in the intimidating iceberg-strewn waters of Antarctica along the way.

Infinity was built by hand in the 1970s and lacks some of the usual reinforcements considered necessary for such an extreme expedition. That doesn't deter her crew: a handful of free-spirited nomads, brought together by a love of the open sea and the search for freedom.

Whale Chasers follows a unusual group of 'citizen scientists' in aged in their 70s and 80s who sit on rugged cliffs above New Zealand's Cook Strait to keep watch for humpback whales as part of the Cook Strait Whale Count – a study into the recovery of New Zealand's humpback population since the end of New Zealand whaling in 1964.

From surfers and spearfishers to a former coal miner and a group of at-risk kids in San Francisco, Fishpeople is a film about the transformative effects of time spent in the ocean – and how we can leave our limitations behind to find deeper meaning in the saltwater wilderness that lies just beyond the shore.

Eastern Daily Press: The Ocean Film Festival World Tour is at the UEAs Lecture Theatre 1 in Norwich on October 7. Photo: SubmittedThe Ocean Film Festival World Tour is at the UEAs Lecture Theatre 1 in Norwich on October 7. Photo: Submitted (Image: Archant)

The festival programme also includes short films Haven, about how the largest shipwreck in the Mediterranean attracts freedivers, including four-time world freediving champion Guillaume Néry, and The Legacy set on a remote archipelago in Mexico where majestic Giant Pacific Mantaray flourish.

Two quirky short filsm being shown are Ocean Rubbish, about David Day an artist from Queensland who suses sea junk to make colourful yet surprisingly life-like models, and Stay With Us that plunges us into the darkest depths of the ocean where life looks like it is in a sci-fi film.

The film programme lasts for about two hours, and there will be a free prize giveaway to win ocean-related goodies too.

• Tickets are on sale now. To find out more about the festival and book tickets, visit oceanfilmfestival.co.uk