New Documentary FATHOM Follows Breakthrough Research in Whale Communication

FATHOM

New Awe-Inspiring Documentary Follows the Breakthrough Research of Two Female Scientists Studying Whale Communication

FATHOM will have its World Premiere at the
Tribeca Film Festival June 16

Opens on Apple TV+ June 25

“I’m trying to start a conversation”, proclaims Dr. Michelle Fournet, an American researcher studying the communication of humpback whales. As she enlists a team to aid her study in Alaska, we follow Dr. Ellen Garland, a Scottish researcher in French Polynesia scrutinizing how such patterns evolve, even across oceans and continents. For these women, this is an ambitious opportunity for rich discoveries—but it also provides them the environment that they feel the most at ease in, by connecting with a creature that has mystified humanity for generations. Filmmaker and cinematographer Drew Xanthopoulos returns to Tribeca with the visually stunning Fathom, a thought-provoking documentary that prompts the audience to immerse itself in a sensorial experience of awe and wonder. Xanthopoulos eschews sit-down interviews in favor of poetic narration, having both scientists convey their thoughts like a research log. The majestic quality of these mammals, alongside the palpable dedication of these women, carries through the narrative. With Fathom, Xanthopoulos explores a universal idea—the search for connection—within the parameters of an environmental documentary, resulting in a thoughtful film that is both larger-than-life in its cinematic imagery as well as strikingly intimate and personal. —The Tribeca Film Festival

About Dr. Ellen Garland

For the past 10 years, Dr. Ellen Garland has been recording humpback songs across the Pacific Ocean. Aboard tiny local fishing boats, she races to gather enough recordings each year to track how the songs evolve. She is on the verge of uncovering the extent to which humpback whales share their songs, potentially across distances previously thought of as impossible. Her study may unlock an unprecedented opportunity to think about both communication and culture beyond a human paradigm. To accomplish this work, Dr. Garland must chase the best song recordings for 2-3 months each year, a pursuit that takes her far away from her home in St. Andrews, Scotland, and separates her from her husband Matt.

About Dr. Michelle Fournet

Dr. Michelle Fournet is a leading expert on the social sounds of humpback whales in the northern hemisphere. Her aim is to start a conversation with wild whales. Using custom underwater speakers, she plays recordings of whale calls to humpbacks in Southeast Alaska to see whether she can elicit responses.  If she can prove that the whales are responding to her recordings, it will be the first successful attempt at a dialogue with humpback whales and a significant breakthrough toward understanding how they communicate with each other.

This piece was prepared online by Panuruji Kenta, Publisher, SEVENSEAS Media