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 Janus - beloved 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 who - unlike any orca in the wild - has 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. Special Features: Cinema Trailer Sheffield Doc Fest Q & A [show more]
This film shows how nature can extract revenge on the public, even the innocent public.
The story centres around a whale in captivity called Tilikum at SeaWorld, The film goes back to Tilikum's capture in Iceland to the deaths of 3 people at the SeaWorld centre. These 'whistleblowing' films if you like are becoming more and more popular ( see the cove ) but its surely becoming increasingly hard for even the biggest of non carers to turn away from actions like these from some of the worlds most renown companies like SeaWorld. We see interview with dozens of employees and former employees who shed light on the shocking actions of the centre and the treatment these poor animals are kept in. Some of the footage is not for the faint hearted but my hope is surely the hope of the film makers is to draw attention to this so that maybe more people care and are drawn into some sort of action and that parents no longer see SeaWorld as some sort of paradise for the children.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. 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 Janus-beloved 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, who-unlike any orca in the wild-has 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. Actors Tilikum, Kim Ashdown, Ken Balcomb & Samantha Berg Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite Certificate Exempt from Classification Year 2013 Screen 1.78:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.0) Duration 1 hour and 22 minutes (approx)
Documentary which aims to expose the truth about killer whales being held in captivity for the benefit of a multi-billion dollar sea park industry. In 2010, captive killer whale Tilikum killed his trainer Dawn Brancheau in front of horrified onlookers at the Sea World park in Orlando, Florida. Despite being linked to another two human deaths, Tilikum is still being held at the park due to the value of his sperm. Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite argues that whales being held captive are violent only due to the nature of their captivity. With contributions from previous trainers and ex-sea park staff, the film explores how these highly intelligent animals are snatched from their mothers at a young age and kept in a restrictive environment.
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