As we welcome 2026, we want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support of our mission and programs.
Thanks to you, 2025 was a year of meaningful progress for Eco-Alianza de Loreto in protecting our natural and cultural heritage.
Together, we have strengthened conservation efforts and inspired community action, and 2026 we have plans to expand our reach and influence
We are thrilled to announce the Loreto Film Festival, taking place April 24 – 25, 2026 in our beautiful community.
This unique event will celebrate cinematic art as a powerful tool for conservation and environmental awareness. Confirmed films include.
• The Way of the Whale by Franco Campos-Lopez Benyunes
• The Last Dive by Cody Sheehy
Each screening will be accompanied by conversations with the filmmakers, offering a deeper look into the stories behind the films. The festival will be held in an outdoor setting, under Loreto’s stunning skies—an unforgettable experience for all.
A quick overview of both films to engage your curiosity:
“The Way of the Whale”, directed by Franco Campos-Lopez Benyunes. This is the untold story of a remarkable interspecies bond—indeed, a form of love—between humans and whales at a remote, luminous lagoon along the Pacific coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula.
After completing a 5,000-mile migration—the longest of any marine mammal—newborn Gray Whales and their mothers arrive at Laguna San Ignacio, where they continue to seek out human touch. This “friendly Gray Whale” phenomenon is unique in the natural world.
The film traces how this pristine nursery for the Gray Whale was nearly lost to a proposed, multibillion-dollar industrial salt facility backed by Mitsubishi Corporation and its Mexican government partner. What began as the concern of local fishermen grew into a global movement, as scientists and environmental advocates harnessed the early internet to reach millions—one of the first campaigns of its kind.
In the end, it was a single, mysterious encounter in 2000—between a human and a 30-ton whale—that helped persuade a nation’s president and one of the world’s largest multinationals to choose protection over exploitation.
Twenty years on, the preservation of Laguna San Ignacio stands as one of the great environmental success stories of our time—and as a springboard for climate activist Xiye Bastida. Her journey, following the Gray Whales from Baja to the Arctic, mirrors the unfolding climate crisis and reminds us what is possible when empathy, science, and collective action converge.
“The Last Dive,” a documentary directed by award-winning filmmaker Cody Sheehy, explores the extraordinary 30-year bond between diver Terry Kennedy and a giant Manta ray he named Willy. Their connection begins with an unforgettable first encounter, when Willy deliberately strikes the side of Terry’s sailboat with one sweeping wing—as if to say hello. From that moment, a friendship forms, opening human hearts to the intelligence and curiosity of this gentle giant. An extraordinary bond that turns Terry into an unexpected conservationist.
Over the years, Willy carries Terry and his friends on more than 800 rides through his ocean home. On one pivotal dive, Willy and Terry’s joint actions lead to the creation of the Revillagigedo Archipelago Marine Reserve, now a fully protected preserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Terry’s relationship with Willy transcends the human–animal divide, reminding us not only of the deep intelligence of marine life, but of how profoundly interconnected—and dependent—we truly are.
“The Last Dive” won Best Cinematography at its Tribeca Film Festival premiere and has since screened at over 40 festivals. The film is currently touring Patagonia stores nationwide and playing throughout Europe on the Ocean Film Tour. It was recently featured at COP30 in Brazil, and the score received a Hollywood Music in Media Award nomination.
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