Survival at Sea: ‘The Turtle King’ documentary to be featured at TTFF

The Turtle King, a documentary film based on the survival at sea for two days of Orton “Brother” King will be featured at this year’s Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival (TTFF).

King is well-known for his turtle sanctuary on Bequia, but few people know about his harrowing story of survival that deeply anchors his lifelong connection to the sea.

The Turtle King was produced and shot by Digital Marketing Officer at the St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority Jamali Jack and tells the story of King’s near death experience while travelling on a boat that capsized in July 1960 between St Lucia and Martinique.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT yesterday, Jack said King was the only one of seven persons on board the vessel who survived, when the boat, which started its trip in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) capsized.

“He swam for two days holding on to pieces of board before some fishermen who thought they saw a turtle rescued him,” Jack said, while noting that King spent 36 days in a hospital in Martinique where he was treated for sunburn and dehydration among other issues.

The 26-minute documentary, which was produced in 2021 can be viewed on Facebook and YouTube (https://youtu.be/Po7dzgHt2vw?si=nbuZcyNwh1hnG5O8).

Jack said the story also includes information on the turtle sanctuary in Bequia.

The film was shown at the Hairouna Film Festival this year and will now also be seen at the TTFF from September 21 to 26.

“I was invited by them because they wanted to do some Caribbean films. The interesting thing is my mother was born in Trinidad so it is full circle for me.

“In 2021, my family went to the turtle sanctuary and I had been in tourism and never visited the sanctuary and while there, he (King) mentioned being the sole survivor and that was interesting and he was open to it so I did the film,” Jack explained.

Jack said he has been involved in film since 1997.

The TTFF’s website says the festival is run by the non-profit film makers collaborative, FILMCO, and TTFF celebrates films from and about the Caribbean and its diaspora, as well as from world cinema, through an annual festival and year-round screenings.

“In addition, the TTFF seeks to facilitate the growth of Caribbean cinema by offering a wide-ranging industry programme and networking opportunities,” the website said.