Film about whaling in Bequia debuts in Kingstown

The man behind a documentary about whaling on the Grenadine island of Bequia says the film is about preserving a unique Vincentian heritage.{{more}}

On January 21, Tom Weston debuted his one-hour film “The Wind that Blows” at the Heritage Hall at the Carnegie Building in Kingstown, to an audience of persons on both sides of the whaling debate.

The documentary tells the story of Bequia whalers, led by chief harpooner, the late Athneal Ollivierre, in their pursuit of humpback whales.

It also captures the history of the whaling industry on the island, as well as the reaction to the activity.

Most of the footage was captured in 1989, with more filming done between 2009 and 2011.

The American filmmaker told SEARCHLIGHT that his production covers a part of the history of St Vincent and the Grenadines. He hoped that the film would be accepted for that, and not used to support any side of the discussion.

“I don’t want to get involved in the controversy, and I don’t want this film to be used politically by anybody. I think it’s a tribute to an honourable and totally unique tradition.

“I am promoting this kind of a unique history and I think that these guys are good men … I respect them, they are fantastic sailors, but things have changed in the last 20 years and a lot of them has to do with people on the outside telling them how to do what they do.

“I think that the irony is that the pro-whaling people are going to find it not a strong enough statement, the anti-whaling people are going to find it too strong a statement. So by being in the middle, I think I’m gonna probably annoy everybody.”

Weston said he intends to screen the film at a number of film festivals and showcases, and hopefully, it will be available for persons wanting copies in the near future.

“This is something that is very huge in my life … When I met these guys in ‘88, I saw them chasing a whale and I saw the grace with which they ploughed the waters with their beautiful little boats … I thought this was too gorgeous not to capture.

“Then when I saw the excitement generated by it, I just had to do this … It’s been a labour of love and it’s a funny feeling to be done.”

Louise Mitchell-Joseph, head of the National Trust, and an anti-whaling spokesperson, in introducing Weston and the film, pointed out that the view of the National Trust is that it is time to move from whale hunting in Bequia to whale watching.

“Tom’s film is a brilliant work of art. As someone who loves history, this film captures the history of Bequia in a way no other filmed document of Bequia does, and for that reason it is incredibly valuable,” Mitchell said.

“I must say as a conservationist, that this film takes place 20 years ago; most of the footage is from then. Whaling today is not what you are about to see; it has dramatically changed, and all of the wonderful folklore have also changed.

“It’s important that when you look at this film to look at the time when it happened. This is not present-day Bequia; this is Bequia as it was; this is why it’s time for something different.

“However, as I said, we do respect whaling as a tradition, because it was in its time … Cultures change over time, and it is our belief that it is time for a new beginning in Bequia, a time when the same whalermen will take you out to see the whales, but just to look at them and admire the beauty.”