Oscars 2021: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa Celebrates ‘My Octopus Teacher’ Documentary Win

The Netflix original documentary won the ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category at the just concluded 93rd Oscars.

South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated the production team of Netflix original documentary, ‘My Octopus Teacher’ on its Oscar win.

“Congratulations once again to the production team of #MyOctopusTeacher for winning ‘Best Documentary Feature’ at the #Oscars,” Ramaphosa tweeted. “The documentary has opened a window into the natural beauty and diversity of South Africa’s oceans and marine ecosystems.”

The Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed directed documentary follows filmmaker Craig Foster’s one-year experience in a South African Kelp Forest. While free-diving, Foster stumbles on a young Octopus. He decides to keep visiting the Octopus and soon, they both develop an unusual bond. Towards the end of the documentary, the Octopus dies while tending her eggs.

‘My Octopus Teacher’ premiered on Netflix on September 4, 2020 and immediately became a viral hit with the streaming platform reporting it a global success.

The documentary emerged in top 10 most watched in Israel, South Africa and Australia and on April 25, 2021, it won the Academy’s ‘Best Documentary Feature’ category.