One Ocean
One Fight
One Future
Join climate champion Xiye Bastida on a journey
A tale of intertwined destinies between gray whales and humans, a pivotal campaign to save Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California, Mexico in the late '90s, and a profound exploration of our world's climate crisis.
“When they turn, you see the eye of the whale. It is definitely a look that lives on in your memory.”
- Pierce Brosnan
Actor“You get hooked to this immersive wild nature environment and you just keep going back.”
- Serge Dedina
Mayor of Imperial Beach, CA and Executive Director of Wildcoast“When you are there with them [whales], you realize that this is a very special part of who we are. We are on this planet, we co-evolved with incredible animals, we are connected to them! So thinking of those last wild places, it is really important, it defines who we are as humans.”
- Jared Blumenfeld
California Secretary for Environmental Protection"What is the biggest scientific discovery of the past 100 years? […] we are utterly dependent on the rest of life. Without the rest of life, we won’t make it. We won’t be here."
- Roger Payne
Noted discoverer of whale songs"¿Por qué tenemos que intervenir los humanos, todos los espacios? ¿Dónde vamos a dejar espacios naturales en donde se permita que la evolución siga?"
Julia Carabias
Former Environment Minister of Mexico
Laguna San
Ignacio's Majesty
Laguna San Ignacio is such a special natural place that it has been designated to be protected under four different Mexican laws. Yet in 1996, Mitsubishi and its Mexican Government partner proposed constructing a giant industrial saltworks on the shores of the lagoon.
Through Xiye’s impassioned pursuit, witness the enthralling bond forged between people and majestic marine creatures, underscoring the urgent need to preserve nature’s sanctuaries for a sustainable future.
One of the most spectacular landscapes on the planet
The story
behind the story
But this sacred nursery nearly vanished. A proposed multimillion-dollar industrial salt factory by the Mitsubishi Corporation and the Mexican government threatened its existence.
At the heart of the 1990s battle to save this haven was the legendary Mexican biologist and ecologist, Julia Carabias Lillo. What started with local fishermen’s fears and the voices of a few environmentalists exploded into a worldwide movement. With the emerging power of the internet, millions united in a fight that culminated in a mysterious, awe-inspiring encounter with a 30-ton whale—an event that swayed a nation’s president and stopped the world’s largest corporation in its tracks.
As Xiye faces the frontline of the climate crisis, guided by Julia, the deep roots and connection with her Otomi – Toltec ancestors and leading scientists, she forges a profound bond with the gray whales, learning from their resilience. Their journey becomes her own.
This is not just a documentary—it is a call to action, a powerful legacy of hope passed from one generation to the next, in a race to protect our planet.
Film location map
Laguna San Ignacio
Meet the film cast and crew
