2026 In the Whale Documentary

AWARD-WINNING DOCUMENTARY “IN THE WHALE” COMES TO THE PARK THEATRE NOVEMBER 15

Boston Globe reporter and filmmaker David Abel hosts a special Filmmaker Series screening and audience Q&A.

-Humpback whale swallows man and lives. They both do.-

An extraordinary encounter off Cape Cod becomes a compelling story of survival, family and resilience when The Park Theatre presents the award-winning documentary In the Whale on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 2 p.m. Filmmaker and Pulitzer Prize-winning Boston Globe reporter David Abel will attend in person to host the screening and answer audience questions afterward. The event is part of the theatre’s Filmmaker Series. Tickets are $15.

In June 2021, Provincetown commercial lobster diver Michael Packard was searching the ocean floor when he suddenly found himself trapped inside the mouth of a humpback whale. Roughly 30 seconds later, the whale expelled him, and he was rescued. The astonishing encounter brought worldwide attention to a quiet fisherman whose life had already included a plane crash, encounters with sharks, and other brushes with death.

But the whale encounter is only the beginning. Abel follows Packard beyond the headlines, revealing his struggles with depression, his devotion to his family and the powerful connection to the sea that keeps drawing him back. Through this intimate portrait, an almost unbelievable survival story becomes a moving exploration of the strength it takes to keep going.

The documentary has earned the Audience Choice Award for Documentary at the 2023 New Hampshire Film Festival, Best Feature Film at San Francisco’s Green Film Festival, Best New England Film at the Mystic Film Festival, and the Director’s Vision Award at the Blue Water Film Festival.

Critics have praised the film’s emotional depth and striking imagery:

“Films like In the Whale come along rarely, but when they screen, smiles are mustered, and tears are dropped.” — Bill Arceneaux, Moviegoing with Bill

“The underwater and other photography in this movie is spectacular.” — Debbie Tuma, Montauk Sun

“Though the incident itself is of biblical proportions, Abel’s film goes deeper into Packard’s life.” — Tim Miller, Cape Cod Wave Magazine

Abel, whose environmental reporting for The Boston Globe informs his documentary work, is the film’s director, producer, writer and cinematographer. Fellow filmmaker Andy Laub serves as producer, editor, writer, soundscape designer and soundtrack director. Their previous collaborations include Entangled, Sacred Cod and Lobster War. The discussion following the screening will offer audiences an opportunity to ask Abel about Packard’s remarkable experiences and the filmmaking behind the documentary.

In the Whale runs 81 minutes and is Not Rated (NR). The filmmaker Q&A follows the film.