Miami Film Festival 2024 Red Carpet Interview - Directors Sarah Sharkey Pearce & Simon Schneider, Exec Producer Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris on Resident Orca
Among the films that made its world premiere at the 41st Miami Film Festival is the documentary Resident Orca from directors Sarah Sharkey Pearce & Simon Schneider.
Resident Orca tells the unfolding story of a captive whale’s fight for survival and freedom. After decades of failed attempts to bring her home, an unlikely partnership between Indigenous matriarchs, a billionaire philanthropist, killer whale experts, and the aquarium’s new owner take on the impossible task of freeing Lolita, captured 53 years ago as a baby, only to spend the rest of her life performing in the smallest killer whale tank in North America. When Lolita falls ill under troubling circumstances, her advocates are faced with a painful question: is it too late to save her?
Executive producers of Resident Orca include Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris and Tah-Mahs Ellie Kinley of Lummi Nation, James Costa (Welcome to Chechnya), and Lynne Kirby (Water & Power: A California Heist).
Resident Orca is Sarah Sharkey Pearce and Simon Schneider’s feature directorial debut under their new doc studio, Everyday Films. With over two decades of combined experience making award-winning documentaries, they seek to find authenticity in every frame.
Sarah Sharkey Pearce is an award-winning Toronto-based Executive Producer, Writer, and Director. She is currently co-directing Resident Orca, her feature documentary debut, with her boutique studio Everyday Films for Crave Originals.
Simon Schneider is known for Hadwin's Judgement (2015), The Whale and the Raven (2019) and Liberty: Mother of Exiles (2019). Simon first honed his craft as a documentary storyteller by establishing himself as an award-winning premium cinematographer known for his cinematic yet empathic sensibilities. He is currently co-directing and producing his first feature-length documentary, Resident Orca, under his documentary film studio, Everyday Films for Crave Originals.
At the red carpet, Blackfilmandtv.com spoke with directors Sarah Sharkey Pearce & Simon Schneider and Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris.
Documentaries are never easy. Where did the genesis of putting this together come from?
Sarah Sharkey Pearce: We met our wild family on a research boat in 2020. So Alita is connected to Southern Resident killer whale pods. It's about 75 strong right now on the brink of extinction. And that's where we began.
How much time went into the research?
Simon Schneider: We started researching the story in 2019. At the time, we actually didn't know about Lolita. And when we found out that in the 1960s and 70s, 50 of these animals, of which only 75 currently remain, 50 were taken and sold to aquariums. Only one single survivor was still around, and that was Lolita. When we found that out, we were pretty much committed to trying to tell that story.
How long did it take you to put it together? Did you always have an endgame to putting this together?
Simon Schneider: It took us four years to put it together. And I don't think it ends here. I think this is a calling that we'll continue to work on as long as we can, because now our job is to get this story out there. And we're going to do that with the help of Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris , who has been our guide and warrior on this journey with us.
How long was the editing process?
Sarah Sharkey Pearce: We started editing before we finished filming. As you know, the story evolved. And so it took over a year to put the film together and the edit.
What is your role in this film?
Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris:I was leading the campaign to bring her home for our My Tribe Lummi Nation, the Lhaq'temish people. She's our relative.
In the end, what do you want audiences to get from watching this movie?
Squil-le-he-le Raynell Morris: Her legacy, Sk'aliCh'elh-tenaut's legacy, is to save her family. Her mother is 95 and still alive, and they're on the endangered species list. So we need to save her family as her legacy, I promised.
Will this film be shown on a streaming channel or theaters?
Simon Schneider: This will be coming to a streaming channel in Canada called Crave and at the moment wea re looking for worldwide distribution on streamers of multiple broadcasters.