Coming Soon: Keiko The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy (HD)/ Filmmaker Statement

When the SD (standard definition) version of the documentary film titled Keiko: The Untold Story was completed in 2011, I entered the film in a number of film festivals around the country. The film won 20 Film Festival Official Selections from New York to Denver, from Los Angeles to Green Bay, from Washington, D.C., to San Francisco. The film also won awards for Best Director, Best Documentary, Audience Favorite, Best Editor, and more.

While attending the film festivals I spoke with several distributors who wanted the movie for showing on both foreign and domestic television or in independent theater screenings, or for sale through DVD and VOD outlets … but they wanted it in high definition (HD), not SD.

As a first time filmmaker I thought I was done, that it was over: it would not be possible to convert the film to HD because nearly all of the archival footage featured in the film was originally shot in SD … until one of the potential distributors introduced us to Joe Bogdanovic at Anytime Post in Los Angeles. With Joe’s encouragement and expertise we went back to the Free Willy-Keiko Foundation and OrcaLab and scoured the archives for more footage with higher resolution qualities to replace some of our SD footage in order to enhance the HD “up-res” (“up the resolution”) process.

In this up-res process we also had the good fortune of meeting our Sound Supervisor and Re-recording Mixer, David Bartlett, whose sound supervising and mixing resume includes the movies Speed, Total Recall, Predator 2, and Pulp Fiction.

I was also fortunate to meet the folks at Circus Road Films, who have encouraged our team at Joshua Records, LLC, throughout the year.

Announcement:
I am now most happy and excited to announce that the HD film has been completed in 5.1 Surround-Sound, and that, with Warner Bros. Studio’s blessings, it will have a new title:

Keiko The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy

Because of new footage and sound this version of the film is now a World Premiere and as of today, October 10, 2012, Keiko The Untold Story of the Star of Free Willy will be shepherded by the folks at Circus Road Films. Stay tuned

Due to these events, the SD version of the documentary DVD titled Keiko The Untold Story will no longer be available for sale to the public. However, our posters and the CD soundtrack will remain available on the film’s website at https://www.keikotheuntoldstory.com

Theresa Demarest, Filmmaker

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Theresa Demarest

Nowhere in recent history has a captive mammal garnered so much attention as Keiko, the orca star of the 1993 hit film, “Free Willy.” The film’s success, partnered with growing public interest in animals held in captivity, launched a children’s crusade that called for Keiko’s release into the wild. The result: a multimillion-dollar project that spanned four countries, weathered endless controversy and lasted nearly a decade. Through first-hand accounts by the marine mammal experts charged with his care, “Keiko The Untold Story” follows Keiko, his life, his legacy of hope, and the untold story of his extraordinary years in Iceland and Norway.