WDCS North America

In line with WDCSs work on exploring the issue of rights for whales based on current knowledge of their intelligence and complex social behaviour, WDCS is partnering with a unique, international short film making contest, Whale like Me, which is open to everyone.

This contest aims to encourage people around the world to think about our relationship with these amazing creatures. Your films can explore how you view our relationship with whales. For instance, should they be protected or used for human consumption? What does whaling mean to you? Are you for or against it and why you feel that way? Are whales like us? In what ways do you feel we are similar? Different?

The contest is already open for entries in a wide range of catagories including, under 16s, film school students, professional film makers, schools and the wider general public.

Entrants have plenty of time to start making their films, with submission deadline set as Friday, April 20th, 2012. The Awards event itself will take place in New Zealand on May 22nd, 2012 - anniversary date of the Declaration of Cetacean Rights, a historic event which took place in Helsinki in 2010, and at which marine biology experts from around the world determined that whales should be protected by rights.

The Contest is an exploration of how humans relate to whales and dolphins in the 21st century.  Whether you see whales as persons deserving of having their rights recognised or as consumable resources.

Malcolm Wright, writer, film director and the mastermind behind the contest says “There is a very special connection between humans and cetaceans – lets explore it! Our environment will never be safe from human abuse until it has its own rights within the legal systems of nations. The Declaration of Cetacean Rights is pioneering the first steps in this all-important direction. With the film contest, Whale Like Me and WDCS aim to allow everyone with a camera to take these first steps with us–this is new, exciting ground and everyone’s view point can help us navigate it successfully.”

Background
In Helsinki, Finland, on May 22nd 2010, experts in marine biology, philosophy, law, ethics and conservation met and determined that cetaceans qualify as non-human persons.  They suggested that, as persons, whales and dolphins should have their rights recognised.
The question of recognizing inalienable rights for whales is of great historical significance. We have yet to recognise in international law the rights of any species other than our own.

Online Gallery of contestants
We want the people who highlight this unique crossroads in human history to be remembered: send a photo and short description of what motivates you to make a short film for the Contest.  We will give you a place on the Whale of Fame online gallery of contestants.  Send your photo and note to [email protected]

How to enter
The Whale Like Me International Short Film Contest is open to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Submissions film duration: between 30 seconds and 4 minutes.

Deadline for submissions is April 20th 2012.

Films can be uploaded to us after you have registered, at: http://www.whalelikeme.com/contest/enter

Or you can send your film as a quicktime movie or .flv burned to DVD.  The physical mailing address will be given after you register.

The Grand Prize
Two return airfares to New Zealand and a whale watching adventure with world renowned Whale Watch Kaikoura off the coast of New Zealand.s South Island. Should the winner of the grand prize be a New Zealand resident, they will win two return airfares to Japan and a whale watching adventure there.

The grand prize will go to the maker of a film selected by the jury from the global winners of each category.

Each global winner film will have scored a certain amount of points - and in a final round, the jury scores each global winner - those points get added to the previous scores, and the highest scoring film wins.

Any filmmaker entering the contest can win the prize: Any individual winner that is classified as a minor under NZ law or the national law of the originating county or the carrier will need to be accompanied by and adult. (Please check age limits with the organisers.)

Schools
The Whale Like Me Short Film Contest has special categories for film students, high school students, and under 16 year olds.  There are awards for each category.

This is an opportunity for students to learn about whales, but also about the art and power of communicating through film-making to influence their world and to safeguard our oceans.

For students to, their teacher should first register their class at: http://www.whalelikeme.com/contest/teachers

Students can make individual films, or team up to work together on films. Any student can make more than one film submission, and work on any number of teams.

Terms and Conditions
Further details about entering the contest and the prize can be found in the Terms and Conditions

GOOD LUCK!

http://www.whalelikeme.com/contest

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