Australia Ocean Film Festival - Whale Chasers
Sitting high on a rugged hilltop looking out over New Zealand’s Cook Strait, an unusual team of senior ‘citizen scientists’ keeps watch for migrating humpback whales. Whale Chasers shares the voices of these dedicated characters who have traded harpoons for cups of tea and binoculars, and is described by reviewers as “one of few films where the bloody history of whaling is reconciled with modern sensibilities and aesthetics”. Pirates, conspiracy, life-and-death on the high seas: Whale Chasers is not for the light of heart, but about the heart of whale conservation.
Interview with Director/Producer Tess Brosnan
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
It happened quite serependitiously. I was doing my Masters of Science Communication in Natural History Film-making, and the assessment for that includes making a science film. I recalled a friend telling me about Cook Strait Whale Project. As soon as I started to research this, I realised there was something huge here that had barely been documented, and was in disbelief at how deep and shocking the backstory to this was. It was unlike anything I had ever heard of, and I felt the world needed to know. To find this story that had sort of slipped through history was both excellent and alarming.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
This is a story about hope. You should watch this film because, with all the sadness in the world, hope is what we must hang on to. No point investing in much else! To make the film child-friendly, and respectful of those sensitive to sad imagery, I limited anything graphic to do with whaling to just a few seconds, as I realise people will often avoid a film that may be upsetting, despite wanting to watch it and learn. And I needed my mum to be able to watch it! I think the biggest thing I learned about science communication is you need to make important messages accessible and motivate people, knowledge is power. If a film is too distressing, and without hope, people become depressed and immobilised on an issue.
I recently watched the wonderful White Helmets (about civilian volunteers rescuing bomb-blast survivors in Syria), which deals with incredibly distressing content, yet leaves the viewer so incredibly grateful for the good work of the volunteers. They kept the tough to watch content to a minimum, and there was a strong message of hope. The message is, we can all do this, be this brave, act with compassion even as our worlds fall apart and chaos is all around us.
Another reason to watch is the fact that within Whale Chasers is the story of a scientist who actually risked his life to expose suppressed data about whales. He shed light on disastrous events in the Southern Ocean that very few people are aware of even today. As far as I know, his story had never made it into mainstream media before Whale Chasers. This event, which has been called the worst ecological holocaust in living history. Whistle-blowers never have it easy, and this man deserves to be acknowledged for his brave work.
And of course you should watch because there really is nothing else on earth as exhilarating as watching a leaping 50 foot humpback hurling itself out of the water like a crazed torpedo.
Whale Chasers
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Well, whales have always been important to me, I have had this recurring dream about whales from my earliest childhood. Traditionally, whales are incredibly important to New Zealand Maori, were guardians, provided food, and in Polynesian culture the migration of whales was used for navigation. Humpbacks take their songs with them, singing “stories”.
The whales in this film lead me on an incredible storytelling journey all over the world when the film began touring, and the film is still travelling without me three years on! Two weeks ago Whale Chasers just visited the Great Lakes in the USA without me, screening at Thunder Bay Film International Festival. That’s a fundraiser for their National Marine Sanctuary. It is so cool to be part of that.
In March Whale Chasers is coming back to visit me in Far North Queensland, touring with the Australia Ocean Film Festival. It has now been part of Science Teller Festival (2013) San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival (2014), Mokpo Ocean Film Festival Korea (2014), Blue Ocean Festival Florida (2014), and Reel Earth Film Festival 2015. The film sort of became a whale and swam off on its own, but it keeps coming back. This year AOFF will also take the film to Belgium, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China and the UK. I am really grateful and humbled by that. That’s quite an extended migration.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
It is incredibly difficult to script a documentary so that you are shooting over such a small window of time, that is dependent on both the movements of animals and weather. Luckily my industry mentors had emphasised how truly difficult this shoot would be, and I had taken some of that information on board, but was still pretty naïve! We had a month to film the whales as they passed through Cook Strait. Sounds simple until you throw in the fact that your are in rough seas in the middle of winter in a tiny boat, with huge swells and a borrowed camera worth more than your life, clinging on for dear life, following a 50 foot giant who has somewhere to be and doesn’t want to muck around!
To make things more difficult, they had a record low number of whales sighted the year we filmed, a total of 58. So when I scripted the film, it was full of whales. We (Aaron Hay) and I were incredibly lucky to get the shots that we got, especially when most of them were unusable due to unruly sea spray. In the end I shot most of the whales using my DSLR, because it was simply too hard to balance with a bigger camera and not fall out of the tiny boat.
Whale Chasers
What type of feedback have you received so far?
We received incredibly warm feedback, which has been one of the best experiences of my life: speaking with people after the film fills me with joy. They get really emotional about the film, which is what I wanted so much, people to feel what we felt, to care and to engage. The music I think is the connector there, and people say they really enjoy the soundtrack.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
I realised that whales open peoples hearts in a way resembling nothing else, and that a happy story is what we all seek. But what also surprised me is the traction and public voice the film gave me to talk about marine conservation, volunteering, and changing our behaviour for the benefit of the environment. I was able to speak in the media and at screenings issues I feel strongly about. I think humans are far more adaptable than we are led to believe and the whalers are an excellent example of how we can change ourselves to be guardians of the ocean instead of exploiting it. The film also raises the fact that humans very recently overcame a dependency to a different type of oil. I had had very little idea of how much whale oil used to make the world go round, much like petrochemicals being in everything we use today, and the audiences were surprised by that too.
Filming Whale Chasers
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I want to encourage people to follow in the footsteps of the whalers and get into both volunteering and participation in citizen science. We need to be active and engaged in protecting the natural world. I would love to see more people volunteering in their spare time. It truly is one of the best things you can do to live longer, fight depression, and bond with others. It needn’t be with the natural environment, either, there is always a need for community and humanitarian volunteering. And if you don’t want to leave the house, there are a huge number of citizen science apps like Galaxy Zoo where you can volunteer to classify galaxies and contribute to astronomy and universal knowledge!
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why was the story of what happened to whales in the Southern Ocean last century kept in the dark so long?
What can we learn from this historical story about corruption and the monitoring of fishery quotas?
Interview: February 2017
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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Whale Chasers
Length: 17 minutes
Key cast: The volunteers of the Cook Strait Whale Project and the NZ Department of Conservation
Looking for producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists.
Funders:Ecostore, Jugglers Rest, McCashins, Tuatara Breweries, Interislander, Allpress, Le Café, Port Marlborough, Café Cortado, Wilderness Guides, University of Otago and Natural History New Zealand
Made in association with: The University of Otago Centre for Science Communication Natural History NZ, NZ Department of Conservation
Where can I see it in the next month?
Whale Chasers screens as part of the Australia Ocean Film Festival
MAR1
Ocean Film Festival - Townsville Wed 1 March 2017
Wed 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Riverway Arts Centre 20 Village Boulevard, Thuringowa
MAR2
Ocean Film Festival - Cairns Thurs 2 March 2017
Thu 7:30 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
CoCA Centre of Contemporary Arts 96 Abbott St, Cairns
MAR3
Ocean Film Festival - Cairns Fri 3 March 2017
Fri 7:30 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
CoCA Centre of Contemporary Arts 96 Abbott St, Cairns
MAR4
Ocean Film Festival - Cairns Sat 4 March 2017
Sat 7:30 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
CoCA Centre of Contemporary Arts 96 Abbott St, Cairns
MAR7
Ocean Film Festival - Byron Bay Tues 7 March 2017
Tue 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Byron Theatre
Byron Bay, NSW
MAR8
Ocean Film Festival - Byron Bay Wed 8 March 2017
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Byron Theatre
Byron Bay, NSW
MAR9
Ocean Film Festival - Gold Coast Thurs 9 March 2017
Thu 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Arts Centre Gold Coast
Surfers Paradise
MAR10
Ocean Film Festival - Sydney Seymour Fri 10 March 2017
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Seymour Centre
Sydney, NSW
MAR10
Ocean Film Festival - Noosa Fri 10 March 2017
Fri 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The J 60 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads
MAR11
Ocean Film Festival - Sydney Seymour Sat 11 March 2017
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Seymour Centre
Sydney, NSW
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Interested
MAR13
Ocean Film Festival - Sydney East Mon 13 March 2017
Mon 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Ritz Cinema Randwick
Sydney, NSW
MAR14
Ocean Film Festival - Sydney North Tues 14 March 2017
Tue 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR14
Ocean Film Festival - Perth Tue 14 March 2017
Tue 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of WA 174-176 William St, Perth
MAR15
Ocean Film Festival - Sydney North Wed 15 March 2017
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR15
Ocean Film Festival - Perth Wed 15 March 2017
Wed 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of WA 174-176 William St, Perth
MAR16
Ocean Film Festival - Perth Thurs 16 March 2017
Thu 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of WA 174-176 William St, Perth
MAR17
Ocean Film Festival - Perth Fri 17 March 2017
Fri 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of WA 174-176 William St, Perth
MAR18
Ocean Film Festival - Broome Sat 18 March 2017
Sat 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Sun Pictures Canarvon st, Broome
MAR18
Ocean Film Festival - Hobart Sat 18 March 2017
Sat 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Farrall Centre, The Friends School 395 Argyle St, North Hobart
MAR22
Ocean Film Festival - Adelaide Wed 22 March 2017
Wed 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Capri Cinema 141 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood
MAR23
Ocean Film Festival - Wollongong Thurs 23 March 2017
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Uni Movies, University Hall Wollongong University, Northfields Avenue, Wollongong
MAR23
Ocean Film Festival - Newcastle Thurs 23 March 2017
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Tower Cinemas Newcastle
Newcastle, NSW
MAR24
Ocean Film Festival - Avoca Beach Fri 24 March 2017
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Avoca Beach Picture Theatre
Avoca Beach, NSW
MAR24
Ocean Film Festival - NFSA Fri 24 March 2017
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
National Film and Sound Archive Arc Cinema
Canberra, ACT
MAR25
Ocean Film Festival - NFSA Sat 25 March 2017
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
National Film and Sound Archive Arc Cinema
Canberra, ACT
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MAR28
Ocean Film Festival - Melbourne Crown Tues 28 March 2017
Tue 6:15 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Crown Melbourne 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
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Interested
MAR28
Ocean Film Festival - Melbourne Crown Tues 28 March 2017
Tue 6:30 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Crown Melbourne 8 Whiteman St, Southbank
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Interested
MAR29
Ocean Film Festival - Melbourne Astor Wed 29 March 2017
Wed 7:15 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Astor Theatre Chapel St & Dandenong Rd, St Kilda
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MAR30
Ocean Film Festival - Warrnambool Thurs 30 March 2017
Thu 6:20 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Capitol Theatre, 54 Kepler st, Warrnambool VIC Australia
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MAR31
Ocean Film Festival - Geelong Fri 31 March 2017
Fri 6:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Village Cinema Geelong
Geelong, VIC
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LATER THIS YEAR
APR10
Ocean Film Festival - Brisbane Mon 10 April 2017
Mon 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
BRISBANE POWERHOUSE
Brisbane
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APR11
Ocean Film Festival - Brisbane Tues 11 April 2017
Tue 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
BRISBANE POWERHOUSE
Brisbane
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Interested
JUN28
Ocean Film Festival - Deckchair Cinema Darwin 28 June 2017
Wed 7:30 PM UTC+09:30 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Deckchair Cinema
Darwin, NT
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PAST EVENTS
JUN22
Ocean Film Festival - Deckchair Cinema Darwin 22 June 2016
Wed 4:30 PM UTC+09:30 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Deckchair Cinema
Darwin, NT
APR7
Ocean Film Festival - WollongongUni Movies 7 April 2016
Thu 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Uni Movies
Wollongong, NSW
APR6
Ocean Film Festival - Byron Bay 6 April 2016
Wed 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Byron Theatre
Byron Bay, NSW
MAR23
Ocean Film Festival - Astor Theatre 23 Mar 2016
Wed 7:15 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Astor Theatre
Melbourne, VIC
MAR22
Ocean Film Festival - Village Crown Casino 22 Mar 2016
Tue 6 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Village Cinemas Crown
Melbourne, VIC
MAR19
Ocean Film Festival - Broome 19 Mar 2016
Sat 3 PM UTC+08 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Sun Pictures Outdoor Cinemas
Broome, WA
MAR17
Ocean Film Festival - Capri Theatre 17 Mar 2016
Thu 7 PM UTC+10:30 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Capri Theatre
Adelaide, SA
MAR16
Ocean Film Festival - Hayden Orpheum 16 Mar 2016
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR15
Ocean Film Festival - Perth 15 Mar 2016
Tue 7 PM UTC+08 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of Western Australia
Perth, WA
MAR15
Ocean Film Festival - Hayden Orpheum 15 Mar 2016
Tue 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR14
Ocean Film Festival - Randwick Ritz 14 Mar 2016
Mon 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Randwick Ritz Cinema
Randwick, NSW
MAR12
Ocean Film Festival - Hobart 12 March 2016
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Farrall Centre, The Friends School, Hobart
MAR11
Ocean Film Festival - Avoca Beach 11 Mar 2016
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Avoca Beach Picture Theatre
Avoca Beach, NSW
MAR26
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Byron Bay 2015
Thu 6:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Palace Cinema Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW
MAR24
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Wollongong 2015
Tue 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Uni Movies
Wollongong, NSW
MAR19
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Newcastle 2015
Mar 19, 2015 - Mar 20, 2015 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Tower Cinemas Newcastle
Newcastle, NSW
MAR16
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Randwick Ritz 2015
Mon 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Randwick Ritz Cinema
Randwick, NSW
MAR13
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Hobart 2015
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
UTAS Stanley Burbury Theatre
MAR12
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Melbourne Village Cinemas Rivoli 2015i
Thu 7:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Village Cinemas Rivoli
Melbourne, VIC
MAR11
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Melbourne Village Cinemas Crown 2015
Wed 6:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Village Cinemas Crown
Melbourne, VIC
MAR10
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Gold Coast 2015
Tue 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
The Arts Centre Gold Coast
Surfers Paradise
MAR10
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Adelaide 2015
Tue 7 PM UTC+10:30 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Capri Theatre
Adelaide, SA
MAR7
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Broome 2015
Mar 7, 2015 - Mar 8, 2015 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Sun Pictures
Broome, WA
MAR6
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Cairns 2015
Fri 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Cairns Performing Arts Centre
Cairns
MAR5
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Townsville 2015
Thu 7 PM · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Riverway Arts Centre
Townsville
MAR4
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Brisbane 2015
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Eldorado 8 Cinemas Brisbane
MAR27
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Byron Bay
Thu 6:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Palace Cinema Byron Bay
Byron Bay, NSW
MAR26
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Hobart
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Stanley Burbury Theatre
Hobart, TAS
MAR24
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Perth
Mon 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of Western Australia
Perth, WA
MAR22
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Broome
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Sun Pictures Outdoor Cinemas
Broome, WA
MAR20
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Sydney
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR20
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Perth
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
State Theatre Centre of Western Australia
Perth, WA
MAR15
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Newcastle
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Tower Cinemas Newcastle
Newcastle, NSW
MAR14
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Avoca Beach
Fri 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Avoca Beach Picture Theatre
Avoca Beach, NSW
MAR13
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Sydney
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Hayden Orpheum Picture Palace
Cremorne, NSW
MAR12
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Canberra
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
National Film and Sound Archive Arc Cinema
Canberra, ACT
MAR12
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Adelaide
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Mercury Cinema
Adelaide, SA
MAR8
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Townsville
Sat 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Riverway Performing Arts Centre
Townsville
MAR7
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Cairns
Fri 7:30 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Centre of Contemporary Arts Cairns
Cairns
MAR6
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Gold Coast
Thu 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
Reading Cinemas Harbour Town
Gold Coast
MAR5
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Melbourne
Wed 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
RMIT Capitol Theatre
Melbourne, VIC
MAR4
Ocean Film Festival Australia - Brisbane
Tue 7 PM UTC+11 · by Ocean Film Festival Australia
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