The Walrus and the Whistleblower

Last updated
The Walrus and the Whistleblower
The Walrus and the Whistleblower poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byNathalie Bibeau
Written byNathalie Bibeau
Christina Clark
Produced byNathalie Bibeau
Frederic Bohbot
Starring Phil Demers
CinematographyChristian Bielz
Edited byVincent Guignard
Music byAnaïs Larocque
Raphael Reed
Production
company
Bunbury Films
Release date
Running time
89 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

The Walrus and the Whistleblower is a 2020 Canadian documentary film directed by Nathalie Bibeau. [1] The film profiles Phil Demers, a former employee of Marineland who attempted to blow the whistle on allegedly inhumane treatment of animals at the institution. [2]

Contents

According to a film industry newsletter, the film was made "in association with the Documentary Channel, and CBC Docs". [3] The Documentary Channel's announcement about the film stated that Demers had "appeared four times on the Joe Rogan show, has testified before the Canadian Senate, and is being sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal Smooshi, the walrus". [4]

The film premiered as part of the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. [5] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada it was not screened theatrically, but premiered as part of the festival's online streaming component [6] and aired on CBC Television on May 28 as part of the network's special Hot Docs at Home series of films from the festival. [1]

In June 2020, the film was named as the winner of 2020 Rogers Audience Award, alongside the films 9/11 Kids , There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace , First We Eat and The Forbidden Reel , and as Overall Favourite at Hot Docs. The Audience Award allowed the film to be fast tracked in the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature category, "provided it meets all other criteria for eligibility". [7] Northern Banner, a division of Raven Banner Entertainment, subsequently announced that it had acquired the rights to distribute the film in Canada, probably starting before year end. The US and international distribution rights went to Gravitas Ventures. [3]

The film received a nomination for the Donald Brittain Award at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021. [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marineland of Canada</span> Theme park in Niagara Falls, Ontario

Marineland, is a themed zoo and amusement park in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. The park has performing marine animal shows, exhibits of marine and land animals, and amusement rides. It keeps dolphins, sea lions, and beluga whales. Until 2023, the park also kept walruses and orcas. The park also keeps bears, deer, and other land animals. It was founded and operated by John Holer, a Slovenian immigrant, from 1961 until his death in 2018. It is privately owned and operated by his family.

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival is the largest documentary festival in North America. The event takes place annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 27th edition of the festival took place online throughout May and June 2020. In addition to the annual festival, Hot Docs owns and operates the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, administers multiple production funds, and runs year-round screening programs including Doc Soup and Hot Docs Showcase.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Demers</span>

Philip Demers is a Canadian former professional marine mammal trainer at Marineland of Canada in Niagara Falls, Ontario. He is best known for his relationship with a captive walrus named Smooshi.

<i>Haida Modern</i> 2019 documentary

Haida Modern is a 2019 Canadian documentary film about the art and activism of Haida artist Robert Davidson. The film was directed by Charles Wilkinson, filmed, produced and edited by Wilkinson and Tina Schliessler and executive produced by Kevin Eastwood. It premiered at the 2019 Vancouver International Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liz Marshall</span> Canadian film director

Liz Marshall is a Canadian filmmaker based in Toronto. Since the 1990s, she has directed and produced independent projects and been part of film and television teams, creating broadcast, theatrical, campaign and cross-platform documentaries shot around the world. Marshall's feature length documentaries largely focus on social justice and environmental themes through strong characters. She is known for The Ghosts in Our Machine and for Water on the Table, for which she also produced impact and engagement campaigns, and attended many global events as a public speaker. Water on the Table features water rights activist, author and public figure Maude Barlow. The Ghosts in Our Machine features animal rights activist, photojournalist and author Jo-Anne McArthur.

Koneline: Our Land Beautiful is a 2016 Canadian documentary film, directed by Nettie Wild and produced by Betsy Carson. The film explores the different lives of the Tahltan First Nations located in northern British Columbia. Through an objective lens, the audience experiences different perspectives from natives, miners, hunters, linesmen, geologists and tourists in Telegraph Creek. "Koneline" means "our land beautiful" in the Tahltan language.

Transformer is a 2017 Canadian documentary film directed by Michael Del Monte, featuring competitive bodybuilder Janae Kroc coping with both the physical and social processes of gender transition after coming out as a trans woman.

<i>Prey</i> (2019 Canadian film) 2019 Canadian film

Prey is a 2019 Canadian documentary film, directed by Matt Gallagher. An examination of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, the film centres on Rod McLeod, a man who is suing the church for restitution after having been abused in childhood by priest William Hodgson “Hod” Marshall, and includes testimonial interviews from some of Marshall's other victims.

<i>Nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up</i> 2019 Canadian film

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Tasha Hubbard and released in 2019. The film centres on the 2016 death of Colten Boushie, and depicts his family's struggle to attain justice after the controversial acquittal of Boushie's killer.Narrated by Hubbard, the film also includes a number of animated segments which contextualize the broader history of indigenous peoples of Canada.

Hot Docs at Home is a Canadian television programming block, which premiered April 16, 2020 on CBC Television. Introduced as a special series during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the series aired several feature documentary films that had been scheduled to premiere at the 2020 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival before its postponement. The films aired on CBC Television at 8 p.m. EST on Thursdays and on the CBC's Documentary Channel later the same evening, and were made available for streaming on the CBC Gem platform.

<i>A Woman, My Mother</i> 2019 Canadian documentary film

A Woman, My Mother is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Claude Demers and released in 2019. The film documents Demers's efforts to learn more about his birth mother, who gave him up for adoption but later died before Demers ever had the opportunity to meet her as an adult, leaving him with many gaps in his understanding that he could fill in only with imaginative speculation.

<i>9/11 Kids</i> 2020 Canadian film

9/11 Kids is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Elizabeth St. Philip. The film profiles the ongoing effects of the September 11 attacks on the United States through the stories of the now young adults who were in the classroom where President George W. Bush was reading the grade-school level reading exercise "The Pet Goat" when he was interrupted and informed of the attacks.

<i>Theres No Place Like This Place, Anyplace</i> 2020 Canadian film

There's No Place Like This Place, Anyplace is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Lulu Wei. The film profiles the issue of gentrification in Toronto, Ontario through the history, demolition and redevelopment of the historic Honest Ed's department store and its effects on the larger Mirvish Village neighbourhood.

Prayer for a Lost Mitten is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Jean-François Lesage and released in 2020. The film centres on the lost and found office of the Montreal Metro system.

<i>First We Eat</i> Award winning Canadian documentary film

First We Eat is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Suzanne Crocker and released in 2020. The film documents the attempts of Crocker and her family, after a landslide temporarily blocked highway access to their hometown of Dawson City, Yukon, to spend a full year exclusively consuming food that had been hunted, fished, gathered, grown or raised locally, while carefully considering the environmental and social impacts of modern commercial transport of food. The documentary film premiered on May 28, 2020 on Hot Docs.

<i>The Forbidden Reel</i> 2019 Canadian film

The Forbidden Reel is a 2019 Canadian documentary film, directed by Ariel Nasr. The film profiles the cinema of Afghanistan through a history of the Afghan Film Organization.

Meat the Future is a 2020 Canadian documentary film, directed by Liz Marshall. The film profiles various scientists who are working on the development of cultured meat.

Unloved: Huronia's Forgotten Children is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Barri Cohen and released in 2022. The film documents the history of child abuse at Ontario's Huronia Regional Centre facility for developmentally disabled children, based in part on the story of her own two older brothers, Alfred and Louis, who died at the institution.

References

  1. 1 2 John Law, "CBC premiere Thursday for documentary on Marineland, Demers conflict". St. Catharines Standard , May 24, 2020.
  2. "'Walrus and the Whistleblower' profiles 'walrus whisperer's' battle with Marineland". CBC Hamilton, June 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "Northern Banner takes Canadian rights to "The Walrus and the Whistleblower". Real Screen. July 3, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  4. "The Walrus and the Whistleblower". Documentary Channel. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  5. Daniele Alcinii, "Twenty-three Canadian titles among Hot Docs virtual lineup". Playback , May 5, 2020.
  6. Nick Kohn, "‘The Walrus and the Whistleblower’ Review: Canada’s Answer to ‘Blackfish’". IndieWire , June 11, 2020.
  7. Mullen, Pat (July 3, 2020). "Northern Banner Picks Up Hot Docs Champ 'The Walrus and the Whistleblower'". POV Magazine. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  8. Brent Furdyk, "Television Nominees Announced For 2021 Canadian Screen Awards, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ Leads The Pack With 21 Nominations". ET Canada , March 30, 2021.