The power of friendship is on full display at IMAX in Lost Orca: The Legend of Luna, which follows a lost killer whale who found a home in Nootka Sound and captured the hearts of its community.
B.C. filmmaker Michael Parfit and Mountainside Films has been working to share the story of Luna since 2004 and this edition of the film is an adaptation of Parfit's previous work. His film Saving Luna was completed in 2008, followed by The Whale in 2011. This new rendition has been specially produced to play on IMAX screens and premiered Feb. 21 at IMAX Victoria at the Royal BC Museum to kick off the theatre's annual film festival.
“It's now been about 20 years since we started working on it,” said Parfit. “The opportunity to revise it, the opportunity to explore more pieces of it, is irresistible I can’t help it.”
The film is dramatic, and extremely touching as it follows baby orca Luna who separates from her pod arriving in Nootka Sound in 2001.
“It was such a dramatic story, and we happened to arrive when it was just getting going and we ended up staying there for years to watch it unfold.”
Over the next three years, the lonely Orca seeks friendship and family among the area's boaters, who bond with him almost immediately.
Luna becomes in essence a member of their community; boaters recognize him and often stop to give him attention and watch him play. But, in 2004 questions were raised out of fear for the safety of both the community and the orca and doubt was cast over Luna’s future in Nootka Sound. As the film continues, Parfit explores themes of empathy and the relationships between people and nature as he documents the world's response to this friendly creature.
“My mind always comes back to this story,” said Parfit.
“I’ve done a lot of nonfiction, and I find that you’re always haunted by some of the stories. I’m haunted by this story for sure.”
For Parfit, the opportunity to screen his film on the largest screen in B.C. was irresistible.
“The other piece of the reason this all happens is because of this place,” Parfit says as he gestured around the theatre. “Here’s this magnificent theatre, and they’re willing to help people like me make something that is a labour of love.”
While Lost Orca is a perfect candidate to be an IMAX film, fitting flawlessly alongside the Natural Geographic and BBC programming that IMAX Victoria is known for, airing the film in IMAX was not something Parfit ever dared to dream about.
“Somebody said, ‘I want to see it on the IMAX screen’ and I just laughed.
“The budget for that stuff was astronomical, you can make a one-hour documentary for national television for half a million dollars, and an IMAX film would be 9 or 10 million.”
But as technology improved, Parfit was able to adapt his film.
Over the years, the film's story has evolved and grown, even attracting celebrity attention with Ryan Reynolds listed as an executive producer.
Today the film is less about the controversies of the time and more about what we can learn from Luna today.
“Luna’s story is timeless,” said Parfit. “But neither whales nor humans are simple beings, so every time you think about this story, his life offers new insights and ideas. It always will.”
Lost Orca: The Legend of Luna will screen at IMAX Victoria as part of the film festival from Feb. 21 through March 16. More information can be found at the IMAX website.
