The Whale Story, 2012, 3’36’’, HD video (mural animation, performance/intervention)

Our human experience is filled with well-told stories of potential, possible, connection with animals. One such story is that of a fisherman, who helped to free a female humpback whale from fishing nets off the coast of San Francisco, and seems to receive a look of thanks from her in return. These stories are repeated over and over to the point of becoming legends, because we will never know for sure. The mystery is what drives the yearning. This experimental film takes on this story by ‘performing’ it in a public park, on a large wall, and inviting the passing community to retell the story in their own words. This project was supported by the 4Culture organization in Seattle, USA, and has screened in venues around the world.

Directed and Animated by: Tess Martin; Additional Animators: Webster Crowell, Stefan Gruber, Britta Johnson, Amanda Moore; Actor: DK Pan; Music & Audio: Spencer Thun; Interviewees: Jenny Asarnow, Alec Deason, Emily Eagle, Marc Hobbs, Ilana Holmes, Britt Madsen, Tristan Parker, Anthony Sonnenberg; Volunteers: Katie Durant-Storey, Alma, Khasawnih, Shannon MacIntyre, Britt Madsen, Doug Mora, Houria Rollosson, Venus Volante

This story was originally heard in the Radiolab podcast ‘Animal Minds’ and was animated primarily over one weekend in Seattle’s Cal Anderson Park.

Made Possible by: Sound Transit, 4Culture

SCREENINGS:

Festival Animocje, Bydgoszcz, Poland, April 3-9, 2022

Rooftop Films, Seattle Shorts program, Brooklyn, NY, July 20, 2017

“Who’s Your Mama?” Earth Day and Environmental Film Festival at Kent State University, April 13, 2017

Ciné Privé Film Festival, Ghent, Belgium, March 3-5, 2016

WINNER, Bronze Spotlight Short Film Award

e4c, 4Culture media gallery, Seattle, WA, Oct 2015-Oct 2016

As part of Strange Creatures program (curated by Tess Martin):
ANIMATEKA, Ljubljana, Slovenia, Dec 8-14, 2014
zwergWERKchen, Oldenburg, Germany, Nov 30, 2014
Fay’s Film Festival, Free Fringe Festival, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Sept 7, 2014
Cinema Nova, Brussels, Belgium, April 18th, 2014
OT301, presented by the A/V Club, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, April 13th, 2014
Kavarna Liberal, Prague, Czech Republic, March 11, 2014
Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design, Budapest, Hungary, March 5, 2014
Under the Radar Animation Symposium, TopKino, Vienna, Austria, March 1, 2014
NW Film Forum, Seattle, WA, USA, August 3, 2013

As part of Children’s Film Festival Best of Fest Animation touring program:
Vashon Theatre, Vashon, WA – November 22, 2014
Cornell Cinema, Ithaca, NY – November 15, 2014
Cinema Falls, Sioux Falls, SD – October 18, 2014
Scottsdale International Film Festival, AZ – October 10-13, 2014
Nevada City Film Festival, CA – September 6, 2014
Lincoln Theatre, Mt Vernon, WA – June 21, 2014
The Colonial Theatre, Phoenixville, PA – May 22, 2014
The Pickford Film Center in Bellingham, WA – April 26 & 27, 2014
Rincon International Film Festival, Puerto Rico – April 8, 2014
West Hampton Beach Performing Arts Center, West Hampton, NY – April 5, 2014
The Rose Theater, Port Townsend, WA – March 9, 2014

Tassie Eco Film Festival, Tasmania, Australia, Nov 12-15, 2015

AniFilm International Festival of Animated Film, Trebon, Czech Republic, May 6-10, 2015

ANFFiS, the ANimal Film Festival, Suncheon, South Korea, May 22-28, 2015

NW Animation Festival, Portland, OR, May 4-10, 2015

Ocean and River Film Festival, Forks, WA, April 25, 2015

As part of the San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival traveling program:
Thunder Bay International Film Festival, Alpena, Michigan, Jan 21-25, 2015

Culture Collective, Global Visions Film Festival presentation, Edmonton, AB, Canada, January 29, 2015

Maryland International Kids Film Festival, Frederick, MD, January 17, 2015

Kids & Docs: from Documentary to Animation, Greek Film Archive, Athens, Greece, Dec 22-29, 2014

Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, Flagstaff, AZ, Oct 8-12, 2014

Croatian Children’s Film Festival, Varaždin, Ludbreg and Čakovec, Croatia, Sept 25-28, 2014

Crested Butte Film Festival, Crested Butte, CO, Sept 25-28, 2014

We Like ‘Em Short Film Festival, Baker City, OR, August 14-17, 2014

Seoul International NewMedia Festival, South Korea, Aug 7-15, 2014

ANDKids World Film Festival, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN, July 23-26, 2014

Doris Duke Theater, Honolulu Museum of Art, HI, Children’s Film Festival Earthwise program, July 20, 2014

Village Green Festival, Southend-on-Sea, UK, July 12, 2014

Last Friday Shorts, TAP Gallery, Southend-on-sea, UK, June 27, 2014

World Oceans Day Film Festival, Honolulu, HI, June 8, 2014

NewFilmmakers, Anthology Film Archives, NYC, June 4, 2014

Mountainfilm Telluride Festival, Telluride, CO, May 26, 2014 – selected for MOUTAINFILM ON TOUR 2014-2015
Charleston Music Hall, Charleston, SC, Feb 22, 2015
Indian Creek School, Crownsville, MD, Oct 25, 2014
Gryphon Theatre, Laramie, WY, Oct 10, 2014
Omni Mt. Washington Resort, Bretton Woods, NH, July 2, 2014

Global Visions Film Festival, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, May 8-15, 2014

Milwaukee Underground Film Festival, Milwaukee, WI, May 1-4, 2014

Redcat International Children’s Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA, April 26, May 3 and May 10, 2014

Baltimore Green Week, Baltimore Green Works, MD, April 23, 2014

Flatpack Film Festival, Birmingham, UK, March 22, 2014

San Francisco International Ocean Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, March 8, 2014 – WINNER, Short Film Award.

As part of the 39th NW Filmmaker’s Festival Best of Fest touring program:
Eastern Oregon Film Festival, La Grande, OR – March 1, 2013
Ross Ragland Theater, Klamath Falls, OR – March 16, 2013
Northwest Film Center, Portland, OR – April 25 & 28, 2013
Cinema Pacific, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR – April 19, 2013
Pacific Cinematheque, Vancouver, BC – June 26, 2013
Beaverton County Library, Beaverton, OR – September 19, 2013
Lower Columbia College, Longview, WA – November 15, 2013
Reed College Film Forum, Portalnd, OR – February 8, 2014
Eltrym Theater, Baker City, OR – February 20, 2014
Skagway Arts Council, Scagway, AK – February 21, 2014

PLAY – Lisbon’s International Kids Film Festival, Lisbon, Portugal, Feb 1-9, 2014

Children’s Film Festival, Seattle, WA, Jan 23-Feb 2, 2014 – selected for BEST of FEST Touring Program

TGD 10, Experimental Documentaries Program, Maison de la Culture Douta Seck, Dakar, Senegal, Dec 31, 2013.

Short Film Festival Zubroffka, Białystok, Poland, Dec 4-8, 2013

Gaze #6: Luminous Impulse, Artist Television Access, San Francisco, CA, Nov 22, 2013

American Conservation Film Festival, Shepherdstown, WV, Oct 30-Nov 3, 2013

StopTrik International Film Festival, Niepolomice, Poland, Oct 25-27, 2013

Cine Eco, Seia, Portugal, Oct 19-26, 2013

ZIENaniMAtion Reverb Nite, Groningen, The Netherlands, Oct 1, 2013

Seoul international Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival, South Korea, September 26-30, 2013

Oakland Underground Film Festival, Oakland, CA, Sept 25-29, 2013

Incubate, Tilburg, The Netherlands, Sept 16-22, 2013

Washington State Studio Network Showcase, Lynnwood, WA, July 26-28, 2013

Revelation Perth International Film Festival, Perth, Australia, July 4-14, 2013

Experimental Film Festival, Portland, OR, May 25, 2013

Short Run presents: Ishi’s Brain, Seattle, WA, April 25, 2013

CineVic Short Circuit Festival, Victoria, BC, Canada, April 19-20, 2013

Experiments in Cinema, Albuquerque, NM, April 3, 2013

Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Dawson City, Canada, March 29, 2013

Water Docs International Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, March 24, 2013

Tricky Women Film Festival, Vienna, Austria, March 8, 2013

Byron Bay International Film Festival, Byron Bay, Australia, March 7 & 12, 2013

As part of Inter-Action special program at Cinematheque Quebecoise, Montreal, Canada, February 1, 2013

Strange Beauty Film Festival, Durhman, NC, Jan 24-26, 2013

l’Alternativa 2012 – 19th Barcelona Independent Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain, November 20-25, 2012 – Winner, Hall Screen Lomography Prize

zwergWERK, Oldenburg Short Film Days, Oldenburg, Germany, November 25, 2012

Imagine Science Film Festival, New York City, November 15, 2012

interfilm, International Short Film Festival Berlin, November 13-18, 2012

Cucalorus Film Festival, Wilmington, NC, November 11, 2012

Couch Fest Films, worldwide, November 10, 2012 – Winner, Best Rescue Story Award

NW Filmmaker’s Festival, Portland, OR, November 9-11, 2012 – Selected for Best of the 39th NW Filmmaker’s Festival Touring Program

St. Louis International Film Festival, November 8-18, 2012

Bradford Animation Festival, Bradford, UK, November 13-17, 2012

Regent Park Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, November 7 & 8, 2012

Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita, KS, October 19 & 20, 2012

Local Sightings Film Festival, Seattle, WA, October 2, 2012 – Nominated, Naked City Brewery Audience Award

Cabbagetown Short Film & Video Festival, Toronto, Canada, Sept 7, 2012

Salento Finibus Terrae, FilmFestival Internazionale Cortometraggio, Carovigno, Italy, July 30, 2012

Portugal Underground Film Festival, Fundao and Portimao, Portugal, June 8-16, 2012

Toronto Animated Image Society, June 1, 2012

Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, WA, May 26, 2012

9th Green Film Festival in Seoul, Seoul, South Korea, May 9-15, 2012