THE LAST DIVE to Premiere in Portland With Director and Festival Panelists

The Last Dive will have its Portland premiere on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at Cinema 21.

Directed by Cody Sheehy and produced by Mark Monroe, Randy Gebhardt and Christopher Gebhardt, the documentary follows Terry Kennedy, a Vietnam veteran now in his 80s who has spent decades living on and in the water off Baja California, Mexico.

For nearly two decades, Kennedy shared an extraordinary friendship with Willy, a wild oceanic manta ray who would slap his wings against the hull of Kennedy's sailboat to call him out to dive. The film follows Kennedy as he sets out on what may be his final journey to find Willy again.

The evening will begin at 6:15 p.m. with a red carpet and live music from Caleb Paul. Jenn Samsom will then lead a guided healing experience ahead of the 7 p.m. film screening.

A panel discussion will follow the film, moderated by Allison Frost, Senior Producer of OPB's Think Out Loud. Panelists will include Sheehy, animal communicator and biologist Michelle Hawk, and animal behavior and ecosystem specialist Alexandra McInturf, PhD.

Sheehy is the founder of Rhumbline Media and a writer of the Academy Award-winning documentaries The Cove and Icarus.

The Last Dive has screened at more than 50 festivals worldwide and has partnered with conservation and media organizations including The Guardian, Outside Magazine, Patagonia, NRDC, WCS, Surfrider Foundation, Manta Trust, the United Nations and AARP.

The film won Best Cinematography in a Documentary Feature at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival, Best Documentary at the Montreal International and Boise film festivals, and three audience awards.

The Portland premiere of The Last Dive will take place Wednesday, September 23 at Cinema 21, located at 616 NW 21st Ave. in Portland, Oregon. Doors open at 6:15 p.m., with the program and screening beginning at 7 p.m.