The Islands and the Whales (2016)

The 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, environmental changes threaten their way of life forever.

Director:

Mike Day

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Storyline

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. The land yields little, so they have always relied on harvesting their seas. Hunting whales and seabirds kept them alive for generations, and gave them the way of life they love; a life they would pass on to their children. But today they face a grave threat to this tradition. It is not the controversy surrounding whaling that threatens the Faroese way of life; the danger is coming from the whales themselves. The Faroese are among the first to feel the affects of our ever more polluted oceans. They have discovered that their beloved whales are toxic, contaminated by the outside world. What once secured their survival now endangers their children and the Faroe Islanders must make a choice between health and tradition.

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Plot Keywords:

whale | tradition | environmental | atlantic | seabird | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Production Company

Country:

UK Denmark

Language:

Faroese English Danish

Release Date:

6 October 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hotet från havet

Filming Locations:

Faroe Islands

Box Office

Budget:

£500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Intrepid Cinema, Radiator Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos (Ambisonic) Dolby Digital Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.1.94

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film has shot over a span of 5 years.

User Reviews

Avoid this bloody mess

This movie appears to be nothing more than an expensive press release for the 'grind', which is a bloody massacre of thousands of sentient whales - many of which never get eaten anyway. None of us made it through the screening, which was so tasteless in its showing of blood and gore. It is a disturbing movie to say the least, and it constantly contradicts its logic without having the slightest idea it is doing so. It is all emotionally based, and the entire film seems to be some act of revenge against the Sea Shepherd. It tries to make out the Sea Shepherd as the villains and the Faroe people as saints who are being put upon by these clueless invaders who want to stop their 'culture'. They try to make some environmental points, but these points have been made elsewhere and better. The only good thing I can say about this movie is that the cinematography is decent.