🐋 We’re delighted to show the documentary film Patrick and the Whale – an inspiring and engaging tale of Patrick Dykstra and a sperm whale “Dolores.”

This outdoor event is free and open to all.

For years, Patrick Dykstra has dedicated his life to traveling the globe, following and diving with whales. Over the years, Patrick has learned how whales see and hear, how they perceive other creatures in the water, and how they behave at close quarters. He has a finely tuned sense and knows how to act when within touching distance of a whale. The film follows his personal journey and explores the psychology of a man who has sacrificed everything in his single-minded quest to connect with and understand one of the biggest creatures in the ocean.

Be sure to check out the upcoming film series at the MIT Museum, presented in collaboration with the Woods Hole Film Festival.

The museum is proud to present selections from the acclaimed Woods Hole Film Festival, a showcase of independent film and the oldest independent film festival on Cape Cod and the Islands.

The Artist & the Astronaut tells the unlikely love story between the artist Pat Musick, a civil rights activist, and the Apollo astronaut Jerry Carr as they participate in some of the most historic events in human history. The film is filled with never-before-seen footage of the early space pioneers and features interviews with key figures from that era. It chronicles Pat’s and Jerry’s vastly different paths as they traverse uncertain times, eventually coming together to render some of America’s most enduring art. The Artist & the Astronaut is an uplifting love story proving that curiosity, perseverance, and empathy for others can be powerful agents of change.

The story of the making of this documentary is as unlikely as the story depicted in the film. Bill Muench, a full-time teacher, and basketball coach, at the urging of his wife, decides to make a documentary on a local Vermont couple. He embarked on this journey with no plan or budget. In the next six years, he traveled to nine states and two continents to interview numerous Apollo Astronauts, their wives, award-winning authors, artists, art historians, and even NASA directors of mission control. Eventually teaming with music legend Todd Hobin, they produce a story that otherwise would have never been told.

A Q & A with filmmaker Bill Muench and composer Todd Hobin will follow the screening.