Blackfish is a 2013 American documentary film directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite. It concerns Tilikum, an orca held by SeaWorld and the controversy over captive orcas. 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. It was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary.
Theatrical release poster
Dawn Brancheau at SeaWorld Orlando in 2006.
Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Thom Powers, former SeaWorld trainers Samantha Berg, John Hargrove, and John Jett at the Miami International Film Festival presentation of Blackfish at the Regal South Beach on March 3, 2013.
Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando in 2009.
Tilikum, nicknamed Tilly, was a captive male orca who spent most of his life at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida. He was captured in Iceland in 1983; about a year later, he was transferred to Sealand of the Pacific near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was subsequently transferred in 1992 to SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, where he sired 21 calves throughout his life.
Tilikum during a 2009 performance at SeaWorld
Tilikum at SeaWorld Orlando (2009)