Luna: Spirit of the Whale, is a 2007 film based on the true story of Luna, a killer whale that becomes the central figure in a political and spiritual controversy in the Vancouver Island village of Gold River. This fictionalized account follows Mike Maquinna (Adam Beach) an aboriginal boy who returns to the home he left to attend the tribal funeral of his father, Mowachacht-Muchalaht First Nations Chief Ambrose Maquinna. Mike feels pressured to stay and take his place as chief, but he does not believe in the tribal traditions. When a lone orca whale appears nearby, tribal member Bill Louis (Graham Greene) claims the whale contains the spirit of Mike's father, Chief Ambrose. Soon, a government representative of the Department of Fisheries & Oceans administration, Ted Jeffries (Jason Priestley), announces that the orphaned whale should be reunited with his pod and transported hundreds of miles over land. The Mowachaht-Muchalaht First Nations Band, echoing Bill's belief that the whale embodies the spirit of their late Chief Ambrose, does everything it can to prevent this from happening. Along the way, Mike struggles to transform from prodigal son into the rightful chief and leader of his people.moreless
