The Musician and the Whale

Valentin Paoli / France / 2026 / Czech Premiere / 83 min.

synopsis

French composer and musician Rone has gained considerable popularity with his ambient compositions and sets. His abrasive soundscapes and collages have also caught the attention of fishermen and travellers, who began noticing ecstatic responses from whales and dolphins. The vibrations and resonances of whale language became an immediate source of fascination and inspiration. Rone sets out to sea to capture the communicative codes of humpback whales first-hand and enter into a dialogue with them through his music. To emulate their language, he uses not only synthesisers, loopers and other electronic instruments, but also the angelic voices of Radio France’s girls’ choir. Can human music truly serve as a means of communicating with whales?

“When whales are observing you from the sea, they understand that you’re the being, not the boat. I’ve always been fascinated by their methods of communication, the way they form families, communities.” — Valentin Paoli, Documentary Weekly

biography

Valentin Paoli (1987) is a French screenwriter and director born in Marseille. After studying law and business, he set out to pursue his dream, launching his career as head of development at Eléphant Cinéma before founding his own production company, Caravelle Films. He has written and directed two award-winning short films. The Musician and the Whale is his feature documentary debut.