Outstanding Directional Achievement in Documentary Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture вЂ“ Documentary Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster Accolades Award nominations for My Octopus Teacher Award

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 it has a weighted average score of 82% based on reviews from 5 critics. 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. My Octopus Teacher received critical acclaim. My Octopus Teacher was released on 7 September 2020 on Netflix. The film, which Foster began filming in 2010, was ten years in the making and was the first South African nature documentary to be a Netflix Original. ДЇoster was also a producer via his involvement with the Sea Change Project, and his wife, Indian environmental journalist Swati Thiyagarajan, was production manager for the film. 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. Cinematography was directed by underwater cameraman Roger Horrocks with footage from Craig Foster and Roger Horrocks. It was directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. In partnership with Sea Change Project, Off The Fence and ZDF Enterprises, My Octopus Teacher was executively produced by Ellen Windemuth.

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

The location was near Simon's Town on the Cape Peninsula, which is exposed to the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean. In 2010, Foster began free-diving in a cold underwater kelp forest at a remote location in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa.

My teacher the octopus