Blackfish (film) 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. Cowperthwaite began work on the film after the death of Tilikum's trainer Dawn Brancheau and in response to the claim that the whale had targeted the trainer because she had worn her hair in a ponytail.[5] Cowperthwaite argued that this claim had been conjecture and that "there had to be more to this story".[5] 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.[4] The review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes said 98% of 94 critics gave the film a positive review, with the site's consensus stating, "Blackfish is an aggressive, impassioned documentary that will change the way you look at performance killer whales.
On February 27, 2014, SeaWorld filed a complaint with the U.S. Blackfish (2013. 'Blackfish': A chilling doc on captive killer whales. By Breeanna Hare, CNN updated 2:38 PM EDT, Tue October 29, 2013 "Blackfish" examines the 2010 incident when a killer whale killed its trainerFilmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite explores history of orcas in captivityThe film received buzz from the Sundance Film FestivalCNN Films has acquired the release to air on October 24 Watch an encore of "Blackfish" on CNN, Saturday, November 2 at 9 p.m. ET. (CNN) -- It was one of the hottest films out of Sundance, but "Blackfish" will leave you with chills. The nearly 90-minute documentary tells the story of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, who was killed in 2010 when the killer whale Tilikum grabbed her and yanked her underwater. "I became interested in this project when I found out about the death of Brancheau," filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite said.
The result of Cowperthwaite's curiosity is a film that raises a number of questions, not the least of which being whether killer whales have any place in theme parks. SeaWorld taking heat over captivity. Blackfish Official Film Site. Blackfish - Official Trailer (HD) Documentary, Orca.