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Nature Documentary 'The Loneliest Whale' Is a Beautifully Told Parable at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on July 8

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Q&A immediately following with director, writer and producer Joshua Zeman.

The documentary film follows the quest to find a single whale in the Pacific Ocean, a whale of unidentified species calling out at a different frequency than any other whale. First detected by the U.S. Navy in 1989 and heard every year since at the 52-hertz frequency, "52" is thought by scientists to have spent its entire life in solitude. Its lonely plight may teach us about our changing relationship to the oceans — and each other. The film is directed, written and produced by Joshua Zeman. Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier serve as executive producers.

Filmmaker Joshua Zeman describes first hearing about "52" from animal behaviorist Dr. Vint Verga. "I was sitting around a table, talking with a bunch of artists about the story of this whale who was theoretically swimming through the oceans calling out and never once receiving a response," Zeman says. "It was so interesting to see the visceral effect that this story had on people."

Zeman was fascinated by the reaction to loneliness as well as the painting, poetry, songs and memes made by the thousands of people inspired by 52’s story. He says, "At that time we were talking a lot about loneliness in society, a conversation precipitated by social media. We were all trying to figure out our relationship to social media and whether there were any negative effects to it. We were at the very tip of what we now know to be an epidemic in loneliness. And the whale became an emotional lightning rod for that discussion."

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, will moderate a Q&A with director, writer and producer Joshua Zeman

The film screens on Thursday, July 8 at 7 p.m. PDT. Only $10 per viewing link. Limited space available.

To sign up, click here.

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