Orca - Black & White Gold

DIRECTOR STATEMENT

This film is now years in the making and it’s been an incredible education and inspiration for me. It marks my directorial debut after spending most of my career as a documentary producer.

I had of course watched the documentary Blackfish and was amazed by the effect that it had on the captivity industry and the incredible backlash it produced against SeaWorld. Initially, I thought this topic had already been covered, and there was no more story to tell. Then, in 2018, I heard about the holding facility in Russia for wild-caught orcas and belugas dubbed the ‘whale jail’. That led to the industry’s open secret, the emerging marine park industry in China. The Russians were supplying an entertainment industry just like SeaWorld but 10 times larger and on steroids. This seemed like an unprecedented story that is happening now with a huge potential for impact!

When I set out to do a documentary on HOW today’s marine mammal entertainment industry is shaped, the question of WHO shapes it soon became paramount. I didn’t set out to find subjects to fit a certain idea or prove a point but wanted to let the audience experience a reality that has been entirely inaccessible, opaque, and purposefully kept out of the public eye.

My approach was to gain access to the industry itself and have the story told by people who are working in it, as well as those who have been resisting the industry for many years.

It would have been an easier call to make a documentary focused on a vocal group of Western voices speaking out against the captivity industry, but I was determined to pursue a more difficult path and include Russian and Chinese points of view. I did not want to make a film that simply preached to the converted, I hope to take the audience to a world they could never imagine. Eventually, I found myself spending time with the Russian catchers and businessmen who built a trade selling orcas and belugas to China. I spent months in the wild of the Russian Far East, eating canned beans (not the best place to be as a vegan), while the instigators, over vodka and black caviar, gave us insight into their business. They usually stay in the shadows, but the outcry over the whale jail meant losing a multi-million-dollar business for them, so they wanted the opportunity to tell their story.

A small team of environmentalists on the remote island of Sakhalin have been shaking up this powerful, rich group of entrepreneurs. They undertook this inspiring David v. Goliath effort, raising awareness on the illicit practices of the catches and managed to build an impact campaign so successful that the Kremlin’s hand was forced to do the right thing – despite national financial interests.

I am honored by the trust and courage Shao Ran, Evgeny, Alyona, Slava, and everyone opposing this industry placed in us by participating in this film. They demonstrate how compassion and persistence can make a difference - no matter how big the challenge.

My stylistic approach, in addition to the verité scenes, was to film direct-to-camera interviews. In the development, I became aware of the intense and diverging viewpoints of the participants. This setup supports their urgency to address and connect with the audience directly. The drone footage was shot to convey the vastness of the remote locations and to contrast the natural environment of the mammals with the confinement of the transport containers and tanks in the marine parks. Through high-production value nature shots, the beauty and nature of free-ranging orcas in their natural habitat helps the audience to connect to the animals and reminds us how these sentient beings should be living while we root for them to make their journey home.

My hope is that after watching this investigative thriller, the audience will not only feel engaged by the unique characters driving the story, and the magnitude of the events unfolding, but moved to take action after experiencing a truly inside look. The US still holds the most orcas in captivity worldwide. People are still buying tickets to be entertained by this cruel exploitation, but hopefully, this documentary will help audiences consciously reflect on our own responsibility and become aware of actions we can take to finally provide these cetaceans with a better life.