Florian Graner

Orcas are the rulers of the seas and are admired by many. But since they started attacking boats off Gibraltar, many people are asking themselves: Are they threatening us or are they just trying to play? The voice of singer and orca enthusiast Sarah Connor gives the documentary a special depth. The 2-part documentary shows the different hunting strategies and the social intelligence of the animals. But the emotional side of the whales also comes into play: how they mourn and how they have fun.

All Our Relations: Tribute to the Orca is a moving 7-minute film drawing on footage from an Indigenous-centered public event during Orca Action Month, June 2024 at the Seattle Aquarium as well as other interviews. It delivers powerful voices of regional Indigenous leaders delivering somber and urgent narratives. Tribute to the Orca highlights Indigenous communities' ancient kinship with orcas and salmon, and the importance of reciprocity in our relationship with our caretaker: Mother Nature. A special focus is on the Southern Resident orcas whose survival, like the survival of Indigenous lifeways here in the Pacific Northwest, depends on scha’enexw (the Salmon People). The event and film are a project of Se’Si’Le, an Indigenous-led nonprofit organization based in Bellingham, WA in collaboration with Salish Sea and Northern Straits Native Nations, Save our Wild Salmon and Washington Conservation Action.