2023

One With the Whale

ABOUT

In 2017, a sixteen-year-old boy from a remote Alaskan village harpooned a whale from an aluminum skiff. It was, briefly, a moment of triumph: he was the youngest person in memory to bring home the sustenance that fed his community for months. But then a zealot with a following blasted his name out on social media and instead of a hero, he became a target. One with the Whale is an intimate, occasionally devastating, portrait of life in the village, a boy and a family struggling to move on, and a community fighting to maintain its traditions despite near-constant threats from forces beyond their control.

Program Feature
Section Spotlight
Runtime 0:01
Language Siberian Yupik

Pete Chelkowski’s latest project, “Life Below Zero - First Alaskans” airs on Nat Geo. He was com- missioned by TNT to shoot “Who Runs the World” for Sara Jessica Parker. He was a field producer and DP for Discovery’s “Ocean Warriors” where he met co-director Jim Wickens. His first feature film was “Carnival Roots” which explored the clash between European and Africa through the lens of Carnival in Trinidad. He produced and created “Fighting Tuna” for Discovery networks. He was a producer of “I Learn America” a documentary film about newly arrived immigrant teen- agers trying to make it thru their senior year in high school. He has directed commercials for Coke, Puma, Abercrombie & Fitch..

Jim co-founded Ecostorm investigation agency in the UK and has established himself as one of the world’s leading storytellers on the frontline of environmental conflicts, working closely with indigenous and coastal communities around the world fighting for recognition and land rights. His work has been regularly screened on Channel 4 news, Animal Planet, CNN, ITV and across the planet. Jim is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Royal Television Society Independent Film-maker of the year, the International Foreign Press Award, the Wincott, Amnesty and One World media awards.

CREDITS

Director
Peter Chelkowski
Jim Wickens
Producer
Nalu Apassingok
Susan Apassingok
M. Watanabe Milmore
Editor
M.Watanabe Milmore
John Farbrother
Jon Ayon

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