Event

Blackfish

Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
1 hr 23 mins, rated PG-13

Many of us have experienced the excitement and awe of watching 8,000-pound orcas, or "killer whales," soar out of the water and fly through the air at sea parks, as if in perfect harmony with their trainers. Yet, in our contemporary lore this mighty black-and-white mammal is like a two-faced Janusbeloved as a majestic, friendly giant yet infamous for its capacity to kill viciously. Blackfish unravels the complexities of this dichotomy, employing the story of notorious performing whale Tilikum, whounlike any orca in the wildhas taken the lives of several people while in captivity. So what exactly went wrong?

Shocking, never-before-seen footage and riveting interviews with trainers and experts manifest the orca's extraordinary nature, the species' cruel treatment in captivity over the last four decades, and the growing disillusionment of workers who were misled and endangered by the highly profitable sea-park industry. This emotionally wrenching, tautly structured story challenges us to consider our relationship to nature and reveals how little we humans have learned from these highly intelligent and enormously sentient fellow mammals.

Official Selection:
2013 Sundance Film Festival World Premiere
2013 True/False Film Festival
2013 Miami International Film Festival
2013 Sarasota Film Festival
2013 IFFBoston
2013 USA Film Festival
2013 San Francisco Film Festival
2013 Seattle International Film Festival
2013 Hot Docs