Synopsis

Saving Luna is a feature-length documentary about Luna, a lone baby killer whale who gets separated from his family in a remote Vancouver Island fjord. When Luna seeks companionship from people, he breaks a fundamental barrier built of mutual fear and ignorance that normally exists between humans and wild beings. This shattering of convention leads to joy, confusion and anger. In a magnificent landscape, different groups of people fight over their wildly differing views of who Luna is, and what we need to do to save him. To natives he's the spirit of a chief. To boaters he's a goofy friend. To conservationists he's a cause. To scientists he's trouble. To officials he's a danger. To the filmmakers, Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit, he's a lone, lovable street kid whale. Eventually, as more and more people advocate Luna's death, Michael and Suzanne become intricately involved in the efforts to protect him. They believe he can be protected if he is simply given the friendship he seeks. But that's not so easy. Finally, as conflict and tragedy stain the waters, Luna becomes a symbol of the world's wildest beauty: wonderful to know, but so hard to save.