One With the Whale

Premiered April 22, 2024

Directed by

Jim Wickens and Peter Chelkowski

An Alaska Native family maintains a subsistence life on a tiny Bering Sea island where, if you don’t hunt, you die.

EXPLORE THE FILM

About the Documentary

Hunting whales is a matter of life or death for the residents of St. Lawrence. When a shy Alaska Native teen becomes the youngest person ever to harpoon a whale for his village, his family is blindsided by thousands of keyboard activists brutally attacking him online—without full perspective on the importance of the hunt to his community’s well-being.

The Filmmakers

Jim Wickens is a leading storyteller on the frontline of environmental conflicts. His work has screened on Channel 4 News, Animal Planet, CNN, and ITV. His uncompromising style has earned him numerous awards, including the RTS Independent Filmmaker of the Year and the Wincott Foundation Award for Journalism. This is his first feature documentary.

Pete Chelkowski is a producer and director of long- and short-form content. His debut feature film was Carnival Roots and his other works include Life Below Zero: First Alaskans, Who Runs the World, Ocean Warriors, Fighting Tuna, and I Learn America. He regularly works undercover for Ecostorm, an environmental detective agency.

Born in Gambell, Alaska, Aakapak is married to Takeva, a whaling captain, and is a proud mother to Nalu, Chris, and Chase. Aakapak trained as a medical assistant, and now she focuses on preparing and providing for the family. Aakapak loves to pick berries in the tundra in the summer months. Aakapak has served as Mayor of Gambell and as a health aide.

Yaari Walker is a spiritual healer who was born and raised in the village of Savoonga located on St. Lawrence Island. Her clan is Aymaaramka and Qiwaghmii clan. She is the Indigenous Consultant at Alaska Pacific University, assisting their transformation into a Tribal College. Previously, she ran the Unguwat Program at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

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