Blackfish
Black-and-white picture of an orca (killer whale) with the title Blackfish and credits underneath
Theatrical release poster
Directed by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Produced by: Manuel V. Oteyza
Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Written by: Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Eli Despres
Tim Zimmermann
Music by: Jeff Beal
Cinematography: Jonathan Ingalls
Christopher Towey
Edited by: Eli Despres
Production: company
CNN Films: Manny O. Productions
Distributed by: Magnolia Pictures
Release dates: January 19, 2013 (Sundance)
July 19, 2013 (United States)
Running time: 83 minutes[1]
Country: United States
Language: English
Box office: $2.3 million[2][3]
Blackfish is a 2013 documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. The film premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2013, and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures and CNN Films for wider release.
Blackfish focuses on Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld and the controversy over captive killer whales.
Synopsis
Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld Orlando in 2006.
The documentary[4] focuses on the captivity of Tilikum, an orca involved in the deaths of three individuals, and the consequences of keeping orcas in captivity. The coverage of Tilikum includes his capture in 1983 off the coast of Iceland, and purported harassment by fellow captive orcas at Sealand of the Pacific, incidents that Cowperthwaite argues contributed to the orca's aggression and includes testimonial from Lori Marino, Director of Science with the Nonhuman Rights Project. Cowperthwaite also focuses on SeaWorld's claims that lifespans of orcas in captivity are comparable to those in the wild,[5] typically 30 years for males and 50 years for females,[6] a claim the film argues is false.[7] Interview subjects also include former SeaWorld trainers, such as John Hargrove, who describe their experiences with Tilikum and other captive whales.
The documentary reports that the whales have experienced extreme stress when their offspring were captured in the wild or when separated after breeding at water parks. The film features footage of attacks on trainers by Tilikum and other captive whales, and interviews with witnesses. A segment of the video of trainer Dawn Brancheau's death is shown at the beginning of the film and near the end, but cuts off just before Tilikum attacks and drags her underwater.
Development
Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando in 2009.
Cowperthwaite began work on the film after the February 2010 death of Tilikum's trainer Dawn Brancheau and in response to the claim that the orca had targeted the trainer because she had worn her hair in a ponytail.[8] Cowperthwaite argued that this claim had been conjecture and that "there had to be more to this story".[8]
