Film documents Keiko's journey home

The new documentary, "Keiko, Born To Be Wild," tells the story of the whale star's journey from Oregon back to Iceland.

November 3, 1999
Web posted at: 11:38 a.m. EST (1638 GMT)

Sunday will mark the official launch of Ocean Futures, a non-profit organization concerned with issues affecting the ocean, and the premiere of "Keiko, Born To Be Wild," a documentary about the return of the orca whale to its home waters of Iceland.

Ocean Futures President Jean-Michel Cousteau and director James Cameron, of Titanic fame, will host the fundraising event entitled An Evening with Cousteau, Cameron and Keiko, at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. The celebration will include a screening of the documentary, a reception, an opportunity to visit marine discovery areas around the museum and the latest update on Keiko, the whale star of the Free Willy movies, presented by Cousteau.

Many celebrities will attend the festivities, several of which are supporting the cause as host committee members. These include actor Pierce Brosnan, astronaut Buzz Aldrin and actress Glenn Close, who narrated the Keiko documentary with Cousteau.

Ocean Futures is the result of a merger between the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute and the Free Willy Keiko Foundation. Cousteau, an avid environmentalist and the son of the late ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, founded the Jean-Michel Cousteau Institute in 1993 in an effort to encourage people around the world to find solutions for keeping the oceans healthy.

The Free Willy Keiko Foundation was created in 1994 to help generate funds for the care of Keiko the killer whale as well as to orchestrate the return of the animal to its native Iceland. Last September, the foundation successfully moved the whale to a large floating pen in a bay near the Icelandic town of Heimay.

The two non-profit organizations agreed to join forces in March of this year. The mission statement of the new entity, Ocean Futures, is "to provide the global community with a forum for exploring issues affecting the ocean — its inhabitants and its habitats." The group intends to be a resource for information on the Internet, to conduct research, to develop ocean education programs, and to foster a conservation ethic for the oceans and the planet in general. Specific concerns include water quality, fisheries management, coastal habitat restoration, coral reef preservation and protection of marine mammals.

Jean-Michel Cousteau, an avid environmentalist and the son of the late ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, is the president of Ocean Futures.

Keiko and his staff act as a research platform for gathering information to benefit killer whales and the ocean in general, with the ultimate goal being Keiko's release back into the wilds of the North Atlantic.

The Discovery Channel produced a film in 1996 that documented the whale's journey, beginning with his capture off Iceland, his experiences as a performer at amusement parks in Canada and Mexico, ending with his transfer to a facility at the Oregon Coast Aquarium for rehabilitation.

The documentary, "Keiko, Born To Be Wild," picks up where the Discovery Channel movie left off, following the dramatic relocation of Keiko from Oregon to his current home in Iceland.

Just over a year ago, the 10-ton whale was lifted from his pool at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, transported to the airport by a UPS truck, and flown to Iceland onboard a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III.

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