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| From Saving Luna |
Three weeks stretched into three years. Filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit thought they鈥檇 be staying in Nootka Sound, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, for a little while until they got their story written.
But they, like many people he came in contact with, were beguiled by the wayward killer whale named Luna who sought out human companionship after being separated from his pod.
With several National Geographic projects under their belt, the team imagined they would be able to keep their distance and remain objective observers in the controversy. Some locals were delighted by the sociable orca; others were alarmed, believing all human-whale contact should cease for Luna鈥檚 own benefit.
It was an impasse at the intersection of science and society.
鈥淗e really was amazing鈥攕eeking out humans not for food, but for friendship. He鈥檇 just tug at your heart strings,鈥� says Ms. Chisholm, who did her master鈥檚 degree in economics at AV俱乐部 more than a decade ago. She鈥檚 thrilled to be coming back to Halifax with her feature-length documentary in tow.
The film Saving Luna opens Friday, March 6 at Empire Theatres Bayers Lake for a week鈥檚 engagement. Ms. Chisholm will be in attendance at all screenings over the weekend to talk to filmgoers and answer questions.
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On the phone from B.C., she says Saving Luna provokes a lot of questions from its audience, the most common being, 鈥淲hat is the right thing to do when humans come in contact with wild animals?鈥�
It鈥檚 certainly a question that鈥檚 been asked many times in Atlantic Canada. Last summer, a young beluga whale dubbed Q became separated from its family pod and started making new, human friends off the coast of Cape Chignecto on the Bay of Fundy. Before that, there was Poco, who sought out human company near Pocologan, N.B. in the Bay of Fundy, and Wilma, who delighted people for several years in Chedabucto Bay, Cape Breton.
In Luna鈥檚 case, the more officials tried to keep the young whale separated from humans, the more he would seek them out: nudging their boats, trying to engage them in play and expanding his territory. Ms. Chisholm says the charismatic creature was 鈥渂iologically hard-wired to be social.鈥�
鈥淣o matter what they did鈥攖here was literally a police presence patrolling the inlet鈥擫una was desperate for contact,鈥� says Ms. Chisholm, from Sydney, N.S. 鈥淚t was almost haunting when he would seek you out and look you in the eyes. We were so in awe of him and yet sad that he didn鈥檛 have other whales to be with.鈥�
Saving Luna has been shown at film festivals worldwide and now the documentary is opening at theatres across Canada. Ms. Chisholm says that doesn鈥檛 happen to documentaries very often.
鈥淚t is hard to see documentaries on the big screen鈥攑eople have this preconceived notion that if it鈥檚 a documentary, it鈥檚 boring,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut with Saving Luna, there are so many twists and turns, it鈥檚 almost like a drama. And plus we have this incredible character, Luna.鈥�
LINKS: in National Geographic | in the Seattle Times
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