LOST ORCA

The Legend of Luna

TOGETHER IS HOW WE LIVE

GREAT NEWS! Lost Orca shortlisted for “Nature film’s equivalent to the Oscars®”   See press release below! 

A new film brings a beloved whale to the giant screen

That a whale could, would and did reach across that line to connect with us is mystifying.

It reminds me that now more than ever we need to take care of each other.

— Ryan Reynolds, Actor

NEWS

Lost Orca makes finals for coveted Jackson Wild Media Awards

August 4, 2025

“Lost Orca: The Legend of Luna,”  has been named one of three finalists for a major international award.

The award is one of several given annually at the Jackson Wild Summit, a nature-film industry gathering in Jackson, Wyoming at the end of September. The festival’s website says the awards “celebrate excellence and innovation in nature, science and conservation storytelling, and calls them “Nature film’s equivalent to the Oscars®”

The film is a finalist in the best writing category. It was written by Vancouver Island’s Michael Parfit, who co-directed with Suzanne Chisholm.

“We are deeply proud to be in the final three,” Parfit said. “It’s exciting to compete at this level with the best nature films made by the BBC, National Geographic and some very highly-regarded international studios.” The award-winners will be named on October 2nd.

Parfit said that it is not just his own words that express the heart of the film.

“The eloquence in this film is in the words of the people Suzanne and I got to know and interviewed,” he said. Among them, he said, were the late Eugene Amos, a Mowachaht/ Muchalaht elder; Ed Thorburn, a fisheries officer who knew Luna well; Gold River’s Donna Schneider; Jamie James, the Mowachaht/ Muchalaht fisheries officer, and the late Kenneth Balcomb, the founder and chief scientist for the Center for Whale Research on San Juan Island.

“And then there was Luna,” Parfit said, “who was eloquent just by being there.”

The film will also be shown at the September Giant Screen Cinema Association conference in Austin, Texas, where theatre operators choose films to show over the upcoming year.

The film is being distributed by Paul Wild, former director of IMAX Victoria.

NEWS

Lost Orca to be shown at Giant Screen conference

Lost Orca will be shown in mid-September at the annual Giant Screen Cinema Association convention in Austin, Texas. The convention is the annual international gathering of filmmakers and the staffs of museums, science centers and other institutions with giant screen theatres.

Over the course of three days, they will view many of the new films that filmmakers hope will open in the following year. The delegates will also discuss innovations in the giant screen and dome film industry, and other issues such as educational use of films and facilities, and will give awards to films shown in the previous year.

ABOUT THE FILM

A legend loved around the world

“Wondrous to behold . . . a gossamer lyricism.” — Andy Webster, The New York Times

“Deeply philosophical. Moving. Far more affecting than anything Hollywood could serve up.”  — Joe Clay, The Times of London

“Breathtaking. Sends a shiver down your spine.” Katherine Monk, Vancouver Sun

“Blockbuster stuff. But nothing Hollywood could do… would say more about the mysterious relationship between humans and wild animals” — Greg Quill, Toronto Star

“An outstanding story of a once-in-a-lifetime encounter.” — Marc Bekoff, author

“Remarkable. Stunning. This film will stir even the hardest heart.” — Scott Neil, Bermuda Royal Gazette

A breathtakingly beautiful documentary.” — Julie Harris, Winston-Salem Journal

“The lessons about friendship are gigantic indeed.”— Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

“A moving story that raises important issues . . .” — Peter Singer, Philosopher

“The cinematography is brilliant and the personal tales compelling. It is an education, a heart-warming story, and very much a legend.” — Rebecca Bollwitt, E! online

 
My daughter and I were captivated by “Lost Orca: The Legend of Luna.” The beautiful storytelling showcases breathtaking scenery and eloquently conveys the importance of harmony between humans and nature. It is an immersive experience that truly emphasizes that … together is how we live.” — Darcy M, Canada, Audience review
In 2001, a baby orca lost contact with his family in a fjord on the coast of Vancouver Island. Orcas are highly social beings, and he started trying to make friends with people. What happened then is the stuff of legend.
 
Directors Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit made a film about the little whale in 2007 called “Saving Luna.” Then they teamed up with Ryan Reynolds, who narrated their second film in 2011, “The Whale.”
  
Now new technology to improve the quality of historical footage and high-resolution cameras have helped them make a new film, this time for the grandest theatrical screens in the world.
  
The new film, “Lost Orca: The Legend of Luna,” premiered in February, 2025 at the IMAX® Victoria Film Festival in British Columbia, in Canada. It is now being distributed to giant screens everywhere.

Beauty, empathy, interspecies communication, love are the focus. The film is a triumph.

Exquisite and powerful. So gently and tenderly executed. It took my breath away.

— Holly McNally, Victoria, BC

Trailer

SYNOPSIS

Luna, a baby orca, is separated from his family in a remote Vancouver Island fjord. When he seeks companionship from people, he becomes beloved.

To boaters he’s a charming friend. To conservationists he’s a cause. To scientists he’s a puzzle. To officials he’s trouble. To Indigenous peoples he is the spirit of a chief and a teacher of fundamental truths.

But what are we to him?

As we humans fight over how to save Luna from dangers we have brought to his ocean world, the truths his life reveals are not just about his own deepest needs, but also about ours.

Fun old footage gets a new look for the giant screen

Lost Orca is based on earlier films, but almost all the footage is new.
 
Most of the footage of the magnificence of Luna’s home, Vancouver Island’s remote Nootka Sound, was filmed from boats or a drone over the past three years. But all the historical footage went through a complete renewal based on new and evolving A.I. applications. These apps improve the resolution and sharpness of video without changing any of the actual content.
 
This short video of some of the historic footage, first showing the way it looked when it was shot and then showing how it looks in the new film, will give you an idea of how it was changed. Be sure to click full screen to get the whole picture.