TRANSITIONS FILM FESTIVAL | The Walrus and the Whistleblower
An animal trainer becomes an unlikely whistleblower and is sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal a walrus, falling down the rabbit hole of a personal quest while a larger movement grows to end marine mammal captivity.
Phil Demers is a part-time mailman who lives in a bungalow across the creek from MarineLand, the iconic amusement park in Niagara Falls, where he once had his dream job as an animal trainer. He swam with killer whales and became a viral sensation in the early days of social media for his relationship with a walrus named Smooshi. But after over a decade of being a ‘company man’, he quit his job, made claims of animal cruelty and triggered a media exposé that launched him into a stranger-than-fiction public battle.
Eight years later, still trying to vindicate himself and save the walrus he left behind, he is trapped in his own story and swallowed whole by the fight. Part cautionary tale, part inspiring portrait of human resilience, this character-driven social issue film goes behind the battle lines of an unconventional animal rights story and a cracking legal drama. It explores questions of compassion for others – humans and animals alike – the nuances of all our stories, and the hills we are willing to die on.
NOTE: TICKETS WILL BE EMAILED TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE BOOKED ON FEBRUARY 20th 2021
Inspiring!