"All he wanted was friendship. Why was that so hard?" reads the movie blurb for 'Saving Luna'.

That is the question that never goes away as you watch this touching, true story. It begins when a young Orca named Luna ends up lost in a Vancouver Island fjord and he quickly emerges as a local celebrity seeking out companionship from passing boats and people on docksides.

But as the lonely whale pushes through the species barrier to connect in astonishingly heartfelt ways with humans, those charged with looking after wildlife on the west coast of Canada become concerned it is not a wise thing, and that it would be better to force people to stay away from the young killer whale rather than risk him being injured through some accident with a boat.

However, lonely Luna has other ideas and continues to come up with different ways to thwart the "cold shouldering" imposed by the wildlife authorities and find ways to get alongside boats to greet the people onboard.

Journalists-turned-filmmakers Suzanne Chisholm and Michael Parfit become involved as they document the incredible story of Luna over four years. With their journalistic background they provide a thorough and compelling story, covering all sides of the complex situation, as those who have an interest in Luna become increasingly unsure about what to do for the best regarding the lonely, but incredibly friendly whale.

An idea is hatched to capture Luna and transport him back to his 'pod' family of whales further down the coast. But there is opposition from the First Nations people of the area who believe it is destiny that Luna is in the fjord and he should be left to his own devices.

Through it all Luna, the young, highly sociable killer whale, comes across as a free spirit from "the other side" — a creature from the wild demonstrating human-like qualities of playfulness and an unbreakable desire to have companionship with mankind, regardless of what obstacles are put in his path.

Saving Luna is also an insight into our own values and way of life. In the end we are left wondering why it is so hard for humans to give Luna the only thing he wants in the world — friendship.

The stunning footage of Luna the orca, the incredible Vancouver landscapes, together with the feelings the young whale generates around him, will stir even the hardest heart.

In one of many touching moments, at the height of the authorities attempts to isolate the whale from all human contact, young schoolchildren come up with a song for Luna.

The story of Saving Luna, and the questions it raises about our relationship with intelligent wild creatures, will live on in the mind of the viewer long after the final credits to this remarkable documentary have rolled.

** Saving Luna, a competition documentary at BIFF 11, will be screened tonight at 9.15 p.m. at Little Theatre and Friday at 6.30 p.m. at the BUEI auditorium. The film is preceded by a locally-produced short film, 'Sleeping with Whales'.