Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief

“Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief” is an award-winning animated short film by filmmaker & actor Daniel Kreizberg and Meinart Animation Studio.

Featuring original music by Emmy and Grammy award-winner Lolita Ritmanis, Tahlequah is a meditation on grief and making community out of hardship, set again the backdrop of the climate crisis that imperils us all—orca and human alike.

In May 2023, Tahlequah had its World Premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Animayo Film Festival in Gran Canaria, Spain, where it was awarded the "Special Mention of the Festival” and described as a “masterpiece” by the programming committee. The film counts Dr. Jane Goodall among its environmental supporters, and continues to travel the festival circuit.

For more information, visit tahlequahthewhale.com and follow @tahlequahthewhale_film.

About Daniel

 

Daniel Kreizberg is an award-winning filmmaker & actor.

Born in Berlin, Germany, he is the son of the late, renowned maestro Yakov Kreizberg. He spent most of his childhood in the US and in the south of France, settling in New York City as a teenager and graduating with Honors from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama.

“Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief” is his directorial debut, which he also wrote and narrated. In addition to being awarded at Animayo, he was shortlisted for two Young Director Awards in Cannes. His editorial about the film, “A whale taught me how to live” was published in Canada’s National Observer in July 2023. On the same day, he released the Tahlequah soundtrack on Spotify and Apple Music, which he produced with an Emmy & Grammy-winning team.

As a performer, Daniel made his New York stage debut at Carnegie Hall, performing the role of Lazarus Solomon in “Ellis Island: The Dream of America.” He has since appeared at numerous more intimate venues, while starring and co-starring in both short and feature-length films.

Daniel currently works as an Associate Producer and Editor at Diagonal Media, a full-service creative agency with a long list of clients ranging from Showtime to IPG/Mediabrands to UNICEF. 

Daniel believes that storytelling plays a critical role in facilitating compassion, by showing us that we are all connected through our universal human needs. He tells stories that range from the hyper-naturalistic to the expressionistic, with a focus on uncovering the truth of what it means to be alive, in service of making a more compassionate world.

 

Testimonials

 

"I had the extraordinary experience of working with director Daniel Kreizberg. Composing the score for his debut film "Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief" was an absolute joy. Daniel's artistry is present in every aspect of the film, including the way in which he inspires those who work for him. As a collaborator, Daniel was thoroughly engaged in my process of composing and recording the musical score. He was easy to work with and very detail-oriented from the very beginning. I was very impressed with the quality of his work, his ability to capture the emotion of this heartbreaking and heartwarming story. His dedication to excellence is palpable throughout this gem of a film.”
— Lolita Ritmanis, Emmy & Grammy winner, composer for “Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief"

 

"Working with Daniel was an absolute treat. He brought an emotional and beautiful piece to Meinart Animation Studio, one that we could not pass up. Though this was Daniel’s directorial debut, his hard work and talent more than led the way. He welcomed advice but was assertive in places he felt needed to be the way he imagined. This made the piece incredibly unique and delicate. He masterfully managed a big team of creatives, illustrators, and animators, as well as Emmy and Grammy-winning teams, across many different time zones.”
— Akvilė Bliujūtė-Janušė, producer at Meinart Animation Studio for “Tahlequah the Whale: A Dance of Grief”