Blackfish

Synopsis

Blackfish tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity. Along the way, director - producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite compiles shocking footage and emotional interviews to explore the creature’s extraordinary nature, the species’ cruel treatment in captivity, the lives and losses of the trainers and the pressures brought to bear by the multi-billion dollar 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.

Director Biography

Gabriela Cowperthwaite is a documentary filmmaker who, for more than 12 years, has directed, produced, and written a wide variety of real-life stories for ESPN, DirecTV, National Geographic, and the Discovery and History channels. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their six-year-old twin sons.