Millions of Keiko fans around the world will finally learn the truth about what happened to the “Free Willy” star
Los Angeles – October 13, 2010 Keiko the Untold Story by Theresa Demarest will screen at the 6thAnnual LA Femme Film Festival, on Friday, October 15 at 12 pm. Four years in the making, this compelling documentary presents never before seen footage of Keiko – the Free Willy star, the first and only captive Orca to released back into the wild. The film provides insight into the unique culture of Orcas, and how the impact of being taken from his pod affected Keiko’s survival instincts. The film offersexclusive accounts of his day-to-day existence by Keiko’s last two caretakers, Colin Baird and Thorbjorg (Tobba) Valdis Kristjansdottir
“It seems like everything I’ve ever done, everybody I’ve ever known, every piece of music and poetry I’ve ever written, has gone into making this film,” says first-time filmmaker Theresa Demarest, a celebrated singer and songwriter from the Northwest, retired critical care nurse, former Catholic nun, single parent and two-time breast cancer survivor. It has been a phenomenal journey.”
Keiko first swam into Demarest’s life in 1996, while she was recovering from several major surgeries related to her second battle with cancer. The day the ailing whale arrived in Oregon, Demarest found herself mesmerized by his spirit after an eleven-year ordeal surviving in a tank that was never designed for anything larger than an eight-foot bottlenose dolphin.
“There was something about the story,” she recalls, “something about the people involved in the story, something about him and his spirit got me going after his story.”
Among Demarest’s ‘other hats” on the film include stints as producer, singer, songwriter, composer, and executive producer (along with EP’s Nola Wilken and Jay Schornstein). The film’s expert advisors include Baird, Director of Field Operations, the Free Willy- Keiko Project, Dr. Naomi Rose of the Humane Society International, Mark Berman of the Earth Island Institute, and Dr. Paul Spong of OrcaLab.
The film just won Best Documentary from the Accolade Film Competition and will compete as an Official Selection at the Starz Denver Film Festival November 3 – 14, 2010.
The LA Femme Film Festival, now in its sixth year, runs October 14- 17, 2010. Keiko the Untold Storywill screen at the Davidson Valentini Theater, The Village at Ed Gould Plaza in Hollywood on Friday, October 15 at 12 pm. Tickets for the festival can be purchased online at www.LAFemme.org or at the box office.
See you on the blue carpet!
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Contact:
Theresa Demarest/ Producer Deborah Gilels
Joshua Records, LLC LA Media Consultants
2435 SW 5th Ave., #201 Cell 818-648-9513
Portland, OR 97201 Office- 758-6509
(503) 807-3524 (Cell) ddgilels@prodigy.net
(503) 235-6072 (Office)
info@keikotheuntoldstory.com
www.keikotheuntoldstory.com
Synopsis:
Nowhere in recent history has a captive mammal garnered so much attention as Keiko, the orca star of the 1993 hit film, “Free Willy.” The film’s success, partnered with growing public interest in animals held in captivity, launched a children’s crusade that called for Keiko’s release into the wild. The result: a multimillion-dollar project that spanned four countries, weathered endless controversy and lasted nearly a decade. Through first-hand accounts by the marine mammal experts charged with his care, “Keiko The Untold Story” follows Keiko, his life, his legacy of hope, and the untold story of his extraordinary years in Iceland and Norway.
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