Whale film picks up international award

Filmmaker Andrew Stevenson has won an international award for his documentary Where the Whales Sing.

Mr. Stevenson was named Emerging Underwater Filmmaker at the Blue Ocean Film Festival in Monterey, California. Finalists in some of the professional categories included National Geographic TV, BBC and Disney Nature.

“It was very unexpected,” admitted Mr. Stevenson.

“When I finished this film I had no intention of ever, ever making another film. I enjoyed the filming process but editing it for four or five months sitting in front of a bank of computers and teaching myself the editing software programmes and whittling it down to an hour was really hard work and I didn’t enjoy it.

“At these awards where there were workshops by some of the best filmmakers in the world I am totally invigorated and inspired by these people that I can hardly wait to make a film again.

“It’s a real vote of confidence — I knew a lot of Bermudians liked it but I thought it’s just because it’s about Bermuda. But to be up there on the same stage as filmmakers for Nat Geo and Disney Nature and BBC it was very invigorating.

“What I kept hearing from people was that the film had heart and soul, it had a story and everyone responded so well to Elsa’s narration of the film.”

Mr. Stevenson said he would like to continue his whale project and was considering another film which would include underwater footage taken by Elsa.