FESTIVAL PREMIERE
Documentary, Feature | USA | 90 MINUTES | English
The Snake and The Whale
Director:John Carlos Frey
Over the past fifty years, four federal dams impounding the Lower Snake River in Washington State have been identified as the root cause for the demise of all of Idaho’s anadromous fish. “The Snake and the Whale” reveals the corrupt deals behind the dams’ construction and the subsequent campaigns to hide their role in this ongoing ecological disaster. Additionally, the dams have profoundly impacted a group of Killer Whales off the coast of Washington, known as the Southern Resident Orca, which rely on Snake River salmon as a primary food supply. These majestic creatures are now atop the Endangered Species list.
CAST & CREDITS
Director
John Carlos Frey
Producer
Scott Levy
DIRECTORS BIO
John Carlos Frey is a six-time Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, investigative journalist and author. Frey, originally from Tijuana Mexico, is based in Los Angeles, California.
His investigative work has been featured on programs and networks such as HBO, Netflix, Hulu, NewsHour, 60 Minutes, PBS, ABC News, NBC News, CBS News, CNN, Nightline, Democracy Now!, The Weather Channel, Dan Rather Reports, Fusion TV, Current TV, Univision, and Telemundo. John Carlos Frey has also written articles for the Los Angeles Times, the Huffington Post, Salon, NBC.com, Need to Know online, the Washington Monthly, and El Diario (in Spanish).
Frey’s independently produced documentaries include Invisible Mexicans of Deer Canyon, The Invisible Chapel, The 800 Mile Wall, One Border One Body, and Life and Death on the Border.
Frey was the main correspondent for the February 15, 2013, episode of PBS’s “Need To Know” titled “Outlawed In Arizona”, highlighting a years-long dispute over a Mexican-American studies program in Tucson, Arizona.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
Over the course of my career, I have always chosen stories that help to give a voice to the voiceless and hold those in positions of power to account. The Snake and the Whale was an opportunity to give a voice to threatened and endangered fish and a group of Orca that are on the endangered species list. By selecting experts to tell the majority of the story, it becomes evident that an ecological disaster has been overlooked, whitewashed and supported by a handful of corrupt and powerful government officials. I was determined to let nature speak and expose politicians and bureaucracy responsible for an ongoing ecological crisis.
SHOWTIMES
Thursday, November 13
Screening: 7:20pm
In Person
Post Screening Guest:
James Cude
AMC The Grove 14
189 The Grove Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Parking
At The Theatre
