The majestic landscapes and sounds of the faroe islands deserve the full cinema experience, and the story the islanders and. Season 30 episode 16 53m on the isolated north atlantic archipelago of the faroe islands, the longtime hunting practices of the faroese are threatened by dangerously. Supported by sundance institute, san francisco film society, creative europe, creative scotland, wellcome trust, and the danish film institute mike then made the feature documentary, the islands and the whales in the faroe islands, released in 2016 the film has gone on to win multiple awards including hotdocs best emerging international. Help finish the island and the whales documentary by mike. The islands and the whales offers a hauntingly beautiful picture of the knockon effects of globalization from a very local perspective.
The pilot whale hunters of the faroe islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local doctor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, environmental changes threaten to end the controversial tradition and change the community forever. These spots offer great ops for whale watching while on your own winter escape. Watch the islands and the whales online vimeo on demand. Pamela andersons appearance in this sombre documentary on hunting in the faroe islands is almost the least surreal thing in it. Watch the islands and the whales online vimeo on demand on. The faroe islands lie halfway between scotland and iceland. A new documentary film the islands and the whales by scottish director mike day, released in march, paints a more complex, nuanced picture of life on the islands.
As soon as pilot whales are spotted, a team of fishermen sail out and nudge the whales towards the island shore. Now that we have this funding we can go into the edit and finish cutting the film. Check out why critics are calling the islands and the whales an environmental masterpiece and must see on the big screen. Pal and i have joked about whether he would have done it if hed known id be in his house for 4 years, but in. Before watching mike days film, all i knew about the faroe islands was that they were sortof danish and had an occasionally giantkilling national football team. The islands and the whales from the heart productions. Pages in category films about whales the following 21 pages are in this category, out of 21 total. Im looking forward to sharing the finished film with you all soon. Mike days gorgeous and complexly woven the islands and the whales carefully dissects the delicate situation unfolding in the faroe islands ioncinema. Official selection san francisco international film festival 2016 official selection american film institute docs 2016. Documentary film the islands and the whales by director mike day depicts a. A powerful new film defends the practice of whaling little white lies.
The islands and the whales world of film international. On the isolated danish faroe islands, the longtime hunting and fishing practices of the faroese are being threatened by animal rights activism, plummeting wildlife populations, and rising mercury levels. Islands and the whales, the environmental film festival. An ethnographic doc with plenty of room for artful filmmaking, mike days sometimes breathcatchingly beautiful the islands and the whales takes moviegoers to. The sporadic yet wellcalibrated narration is key here. A subtle film with much grace, the islands and the whales nevertheless manages to get under the skin of the faroese and their potentially lifechanging predicament, and to establish a resonance far beyond the interests of its remote subjects. The land yields little, so they have always relied on harvesting their seas. The islands and the whales is an engaging, secluded documentary that doesnt hold back on animal violence surprisingly graphic for a 12a. The film is one minute long and caused controversy when it was released. Guide to whale watching at the channel islands national park.
The islands and the whales part ecodocumentary, part sociological examination, mike days the islands and the whales uses the. Guide to whale watching at the channel islands national park and throughout the santa barbara channel whale watching. In 1989, the whale and dolphin conservation society commissioned an animated public information film narrated by anthony hopkins to raise awareness on the faroe islands whaling of longfinned pilot whales. This film took five years to make and im very excited to now bring this film to uk audiences on the big screen. Just like us, moby dick and his pals like to take a break from the cold and head south to the tropics. Hunting whales and seabirds kept them alive for generations, and gave them the way of life they love. The humpback whale gets its name from fact that the dorsal fin sits on a large hump on the back, which is noticeable when the whale arches its back and dives.
After 22 years of continued medical studies on the local community, increased pollution in the surrounding oceans had pushed mercury levels in the native pilot whale to. Ged fitzsimmons in the far north, where the sea rages and the few outcroppings of land have soil so thin that barely anything can be grown there, live the faroese. Hunting whales and seabirds kept them alive for generations, and gave them the way of life they. Mike days strange, melancholic documentary about the faroe islands features gimleteyed locals, longfinned pilot whales, mystical folk tales and pamela anderson.
A study prepared for international fund for animal welfare in 2009 estimated that million people went whale watching globally in 2008. Supported by sundance institute, san francisco film society, creative europe, creative scotland, wellcome trust, and the danish film institute mike then made the feature documentary, the islands and the whales in the faroe islands, released in 2016 the film has gone on to win awards and a bafta scotland nomination and is due for uk release in 2017. They are also referred to as biggs killer whales in honor of dr. It is not the controversy surrounding whaling that threatens the faroese way of life. The islands and the whales in their remote home in the north atlantic the faroe islanders have always eaten what nature could provide, proud to put local food on the table. It objectively, and without judgement, portrays the whale hunt, and as background the battles with sea shepherd, etc. His study on pregnant women and their children done over a. The whale hunters of the faroe islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of. A look at the faroe islanders tradition of hunting whales for food, which is now. What emerges is a far broader, harrowing tale of a small community living on the sharp edge of the global effects of pollution and climate change. Its not without reason that the day took home the emerging international filmmaker award following its world premiere at hot docs.
The islands and the whales focuses on the faroese tradition of hunting pilot whales that swim near the islands, an event known as the grind. Here are the best islands to spot humpacks and gray whales. Some humpback whales make a round trip journey of 10,000 miles. It is the whales that go south that are frequently seen close to shore. Scottish filmmaker mike day wins emerging international filmmaker award following world premiere of his documentary on faroese whaling culture. Trailer for the documentary the islands and the whales the pilot whale hunters of the faroe islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever. Mike days film comes in the wake of recent documentaries on faroese whaling, notably. The real giant within the islands and the whales, however, is its phenomenal sound design, which uses dolby atmos audio to capture the full richness of the island landscape. Mike day is raising funds for help finish the island and the whales documentary on kickstarter. Transient orca whales pass through the islands frequently, feeding on seals, sea lions and fish. Alains bond with stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after stephanie suffers a horrible accident. The islands and the whales scottish documentary institute. Despite the title, the islands and the whales is about people and their.
Help finish the island and the whales documentary by mike day. North pacific right whales can occur from the bering sea as far south as the bonin islands. And valor is the latest military drama to hit the small screen this fall. Whale watching is mostly a recreational activity cf. But today they face a grave threat to this tradition.
The islands and the whales is a very involving and thoughtprovoking small window into remote islands that embody crucial issues that affect the world as a whole. The islands and the whales 2016 directed by mike day. The islands and the whales showing at queens film theatre. The immersive aural tracks let the wind blow and the birds squawk as the film depicts a land worth preserving. The islands and the whales season 30 episode 16 pov pbs. The islands and the whales examines the debate around a controversial, centuriesold tradition. They measure up to 32 feet in length and weigh up to 11 tons.
Sundance supported documentary film needs finishing funds to tell the epic story of the faroe islands and marine pollution. Mike days documentary the island and the whales examines a community. The almost fifty thousand inhabitants are direct descendants of vikings who settled there a millennium ago, and for all that time they have survived by hunting whales and seabirds. On the isolated north atlantic archipelago of the faroe islands, the longtime hunting practices of the faroese are threatened by dangerously high mercury levels in the whales, decimated seabird. The traditional hunting of seabirds and pilot whales continues to provide food for many living in the north atlantic faroe islands, but the changing world both on a climate and cultural level threatens this way of life. Right whales have historically been found closer to shore in very shallow than other large baleen whales, but they are by no means limited to near. Put in charge of his young son, alain leaves belgium for antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. But today they face a grave t hreat to this tradition.
Surviving for centuries by hunting and fishing, they now find that pollution and climate change are threatening to make their traditional way of life obsolete. Silent of commentary, these images, as those throughout his film, are. Add this trailer to your site, copy the code below. Whale watching is the practice of observing whales and dolphins in their natural habitat. Michael bigg 19391990, a fisheries and oceans canada scientist, one of the primary modern researchers on killer whales. While the islands and the whales may be a visually stunning, aurally impressive technical marvel, it is days sensitivity to his amenable subjects and balanced approach that make the film a commendable success.
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