North Atlantic right whales are dying faster than they can reproduce. With just over 330 remaining, these great whales rarely die of natural causes. Instead they are run over by ships or suffer lethal injuries from fishing gear. If we don’t stop killing them, in 20 years they could be extinct.
From the only known calving grounds to the shifting feeding grounds, Last of the Right Whales follows the North Atlantic right whale migration and the people committed to saving a species still struggling to recover from centuries of hunting. Now climate change is forcing right whales further north in search of food, putting them on a collision course with deadly ships and fishing gear.
With unprecedented access to film the whale migration, Last of the Right Whales brings a message of hope about the most at risk great whale on the planet.
Nadine Pequeneza is an award-winning Producer/Director specializing in character-driven films that offer unique access to stories about a wide range of topics from criminal justice, to global finance, to wildlife conservation. With more than 15 years of international experience her work has garnered worldwide recognition, including; a Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing in a Documentary Program, nine CSA and Gemini nominations, Gold and Silver Hugos from the Chicago International Film Festival, and a Silver Gavel Award honorable mention from the American Bar Association. Nadine’s films have been screened at festivals around the world from Toronto, to Milan, to Auckland, to Sichuan, China. Through her company HitPlay Productions Nadine produces, directs, and writes feature documentaries: The Invisible Heart, Next of Kin, Road to Mercy, 15 to Life: Kenneth’s Story and Inside Disaster: Haiti.
HitPlay’s broadcast and funding partners include CBC, SRC/RDI, PBS, ARTE, SWR, TVO, Knowledge Network, Canal D, Telefilm, Ontario Creates, NFB, Rogers Documentary Fund, and the Bell Fund. Nadine is the immediate past Chair of the Documentary Organization of Canada and a graduate of the Fledgling Foundation’s inaugural engagement lab 2014-15. Her new film, Last of the Right Whales is a story with far-reaching implications about the endangered North Atlantic right whales. What we do to save this great whale species now, will impact the survival of many other marine mammals and ultimately the biodiversity of species and health of our oceans.
Check out WHOI Scientist Michael Moore’s new book WE ARE ALL WHALERS
“Moore, a marine scientist and veterinarian, makes a compelling argument that whales’ survival depends on each of us — not just on those who venture out on ships, hunting whales for meat and blubber. It’s sobering to grapple with the ways we might unwittingly contribute to the mammals’ demise, like by eating commercially caught seafood. But Moore also offers reason to be hopeful, including new technologies for ropeless fishing.”
-The Washington Post
