Vincent Kelner—writer-director of “A Taste of Whale,” a documentary examining the “grind,” Faroe Islanders’ ritual slaughter of pilot whales, but an intricate film with a lot more on its mind than that—addresses the question that I customarily ask documentary filmmakers: What was it about this subject matter that he found so compelling he was willing to devote several years of his life to making a movie about it? Read more…
All posts in Cetaceans
Jose Sanchez, marine biologist, ecotourism guide, expert on the “friendly whales”
Jose Sanchez—a naturalist trained in marine biology, and an expert on the so-called “friendly whales” of San Ignacio Lagoon in the Baja California region of Mexico, having led ecotourism trips there for 25 years—recalls growing up in a family that prized nature and wildlife, regularly taking outdoor outings to explore and enjoy those things. Read more…
Joshua Zeman, director of “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52”
Joshua Zeman—the director of “The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52,” a feature-length documentary chronicling the science-oriented pursuit of a whale that experts think has spent his whole life in solitude because, they believe, he’s communicating at a frequency no other whale can understand—addresses the observation that this film represents a departure from his past work, noting he makes mysteries, and “The Loneliest Whale” is surely a mystery. Read more…