A Whale, a Submarine and the Sound in Between

Based on true events, this animated short film follows a Cuvier’s beaked whale whale in its natural ocean habitat as sonar from anti-submarine warfare drills invade.

Please support A Whale, a Submarine and the Sound in Between with a donation! 

I am an animation filmmaker based in Berlin, Germany. With almost fifteen years of professional experience, including working as a miniature set-maker on Wes Anderson’s Oscar-winning short film The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and his feature film Asteroid City, my own work bridges fiction and reality and investigates the complex political structures that influence our world. In A Whale, a Submarine and the Sound in Between, I question “How far are we willing to go in order to feel safe?” when the effects of our military maritime drills and tactics drive whales to beach themselves at a rate of about 2,000 whales per year worldwide. 

A Whale, a Submarine and the Sound in Between creatively explores a world rarely seen – the ocean. The ocean makes up 99% of the space where life can develop and is our largest habitat. My short makes  seen the unseen to illustrate the dangerous impact us surface-dwellers can have in our own search for safety. We start in the dark of the ocean, a world that becomes illuminated to us through the clicks and song of our whale: a lush landscape of green plants in white sand and coral reefs filled with fish and other ocean-life. When the Homeland Security boats’ sonar goes off, it disorients the whale, literally. While we cannot see sonar, echolocating is exactly how the whales see, navigate, and hunt in their world.

Ever since I was a kid I always felt at home in the ocean, no matter where I was in the world. If I was next to or in the ocean, I felt at home in my heart. Noise pollution is a silent killer and not very many people know this is happening, or when they read about a beached whale they don’t know why it happened. I know that the military wants to keep us safe, but we are putting other living beings at risk. Through the magic of animation and the impact of storytelling, I hope to shed light on the whales’ plight and help people “see” this world through the whales’ eyes.

I am raising $50,000 to start production – to build the sets and the characters, fees for the team, studio and equipment rental.

I specialize in stop-motion and my award-winning team includes Susanna Jerger and Alice Buechner, who worked with me on Asteroid City and who have accomplished careers working with other pillars in the industry such as Guillermo del Toro, the Wachowski Sisters, and more. Funds will support building the whale, its world under the ocean, and visualizing how the sonar wreaks havoc on its habitat and body. This project is both an artistic and educational endeavor designed for film festival exhibition as well as non-profit and school screenings to spread awareness about this cause.
Please support A Whale, a Submarine and the Sound in Between with a donation! The project is fiscally sponsored by From the Heart Productions, which makes your donation tax-deductible (EIN 95-4445418). To maximize your tax benefit, I am asking for donations of $500, $1000, $5000, and $10,000, but – truly – any amount helps.