One with the Whale

Madulu, the Seaman

April 2023 •English

A youngster begins to understand the wisdom hidden within legendary whaler-man Tall 12's sea shanty songs in the whaling town of Barrouallie, St. Vincent, a place where men still wrestle with the creatures of the deep for survival. Against a backdrop of cruise-ship tourism and economic colonialism, this lyrical documentary discovers a surprising renewal of interest and hunger to preserve local traditions and cultural knowledge through new interpretations.

The Cove

July 2009 •English

The Cove tells the amazing true story of how an elite team of individuals, films makers and free divers embarked on a covert mission to penetrate the hidden cove in Japan, shining light on a dark and deadly secret. The shocking discoveries were only the tip of the iceberg.

Defend, Conserve, Protect

July 2019 •English

Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, Defend, Conserve, Protect, pits the marine conservation group, Sea Shepherd, against the Japanese whaling fleet, in an epic battle to defend the majestic Minke whales.

Pirate for the Sea

August 2008 •English

A documentary on Paul Watson, who takes the law into his own hands on the open seas, confronting, by any nonviolent means necessary, the hunters who indiscriminately slaughter whales, seals and sharks, along with complicit governments and environmental organizations. Written by Anonymous "Pirate for the Sea" is a biographical film of Captain Paul Watson, the youngest founding member of Greenpeace Canada. He organized early campaigns protesting the killing of seals, whales, and dolphins. Greenpeace ejected him for being too much of an activist. Starting his own organization, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, he went on to sink illegal whaling ships, stopped Canadian seal hunts for ten years, permanently halted sealing in British Isles, killing of dolphins on Iki Island, Japan, etc. This documentary witnesses his latest campaigns and explores the personal and environmental history of this controversial marine conservationist. Written by R.C.

At the Edge of the World

October 2008 •English

At the Edge of the World chronicles the controversial Sea Shepherd Antarctic Campaign against a Japanese whaling fleet. The international volunteer crew, under-trained and under-equipped, develop a combination of bizarre and brilliant tactics with which to stop the whalers. But first they must find the Japanese ships, a far more difficult challenge than ever imagined - long-time activist Paul Watson and first-time captain Alex Cornelissen employ an array of strategies in the hopes of finding an elusive adversary in the vast expanse of the Ross Sea. With one ship (the Farley Mowat) too slow to chase down the whaling fleet, with their second ship (the Robert Hunter) unsuited for Antarctic ice conditions and with no country supporting their efforts to enforce international law, the situation becomes increasingly desperate. Against all odds, however, a real-life pirate tale unfolds - a modern-day "David vs. Goliath" adventure.

Za tučňáky, lvouny a velrybami

June 1953 •Czech

The last whale hunters

September 2021 •Japanese

The Lamalera village is located in a small volcanic Island, a poor, barren land, and they catch whales to eat. It is the only way for them to survive. The harpooners are called lamafa in the local language. They are the village's pride because they take the whole responsibility for the very dangerous hunting. In 2018. a tragedy struck the village. Benjamin, a young lamafa, was killed during a spear hunting. His father, Ignatius, was devastated, and Benjamin's brother, Demo, was shocked and unable to go hunting. They blame accidents at sea on a victim's family discord in Lamalera. Ignatius, the master boat-builder, decided to build a new traditional whaleboat to reunite the family bond. The whaling boat is 12 meters long, made entirely of hand-crafted wood, not using a single nail, and is considered an intangible cultural asset.

The Book of the Sea

May 2018 •Russian

In the frigid waters off of Russia’s Bering Strait, Inuit and Chukchi hunters today still seek out the giant sea mammals that have provided their people with food since time immemorial. It is known, that the whale hunting today is controversial and subject to international criticism and regulations. But the Inuit and Chukchi hunt is permitted by international law because of the whaling is the foundation of their culture and their life. The contemporary story of elders Aleksandr and Aleksei blends seamlessly with that of “the woman who gave birth to a whale” and other ancient myths, told here in vivid animation, in this ongoing struggle for survival and preservation of a traditional lifestyle in one of the most remote places on earth.

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & The World

May 2010 •English

Examine the American whaling industry from its 17th-century origins in drift and shore whaling off the coast of New England and Cape Cod, through the golden age of deep ocean whaling, the tragedy of the Essex, and the career of Moby Dick's Herman Melville, and on to its demise in the decades following the American Civil War.

Whaling Afloat and Ashore

January 1908 •English

A short documentary about industrial whaling. The surviving footage runs for approximately 12 minutes.

Whale Fishing

March 1909 •English

A whale is hunted in the southern hemisphere by the crew of a sailing ship: it is harpooned twice, using a cannon, and taken back to the shore. In the second part, the whale is butchered at a whaling station. A lady with a parasol looks on, while in the background are the sailing ships used to hunt whales. These are excerpts from a 1909 film called "La Pêche à Baleine dans les mers du Sud" made by Jean Nédelec and cut down in the 1920's for the Pathé Baby home movie projector.

Whaler out of New Bedford

January 1961 •English

Pictures made from an 1800-foot panorama painted in 1848 and authentic songs of the period sung and played by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacCall are used in portraying a whaling voyage around the world. Includes views of New Bedford, Mass., the Azores, Hawaii, Tahiti, the Alaskan whaling grounds, the Horn, and the harbors of Typee and Rio.

The Whalers

August 1938 •English

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are crewing a whaling ship. Their mishaps include Donald fighting off some hungry birds, Mickey and a bucket of water that keeps doing a boomerang impression, and Goofy firing the cannon and getting stuck high in the air, and ultimately inside a whale. And when he lands the whale well, let's just say they're gonna need a bigger boat.

Samson & Sally

October 1984 •Danish

Samson is a young whale that doesn't have friends. He spends his time listening to his mother's stories about the legendary whale Moby Dick. Samson becomes fascinated about it and decides to go on a journey to find Moby Dick.

Moby-Dick

January 1975 •English

In 1841 young Ishmael signs aboard the whaling ship Pequod, under the command of the strict, one-legged Capt. Ahab. Ishmael soon finds out that Ahab is searching for the legendary white whale, Moby Dick, who cost Ahab his leg, and he will let nothing stand in the way of getting his revenge on the beast.

The Whale God

July 1962 •Japanese

A fishing village is terrorized by a giant whale, and the fishermen are determined to kill it.

In the Heart of the Sea

December 2015 •English

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.

Encounter at Trinity

January 1957 •English

The big whale round-up at Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, is brought to the screen with a realism not often found in fish stories. Cameras are on hand to record the annual sea drama as herds of pothead whales are driven inshore by fishing boats and killed in shallow water. There is tense excitement as, their escape cut off, the marine monsters fight for their lives. Reporter Fred Davis is told about the commercial uses of whale meat and whale products, particularly in mink farming.

Down to the Sea in Ships

February 1949 •English

During a whaling expedition in the late 1800's, the aging Captain Bering Joy (Lionel Barrymore) and his new first mate, Dan Lunceford (Richard Widmark) engage in a battle of wills concerning the education of the captain's struggling grandson.

I Conquer the Sea!

January 1936 •English

1936 was a different world in Newfoundland - the bigotry and the unexpected ending will give you plenty to talk about and think about in this forgotten masterpiece of human drama.