Blackfish, a documentary from film maker Gabriela Cowperthwaite, about Tilikum, an orca whale, opened today in a very limited release – two theaters in New York, and one in Hollywood, and one in West Los Angeles.
Beginning next Friday, June 26th, and continuing through the summer, the film will gradually go into wide release. You can find out where and when it will be playing on the Magnolia Pictures Playdates page.
I saw the film back in April at the Sarasota Film Festival. Blackfish opened the festival. Here is a link to my review, dated April 6th, 2013.
I’ve created this post today because , with the film’s release, the film and Sea World are in the news. As you will note in my review, Sea World declined any and all requests by the film makers to be interviewed for the film. So within the film, there is no rebuttal or any thing from Sea World.
With Magnolia Pictures release of the film, Sea World has chosen a very unusual tactic. Sea World has sent a detailed critique of the film to 50 critics. Not to me, so I can not offer a reaction.
Michael Ciely, writing for the New York Times, called this missive ‘a pre-emptive strike‘. He also labeled this, a ‘first step in an aggressive public pushback against the film‘.
This tactic is in itself a topic for discussion. But we won’t be having that here despite the fact that, as Ciely’s piece says, ‘that businesses accused of wrong doing in films often choose to lie low‘.
I believe that this film documentary is very worthwhile and is a film that you should consider seeing when it comes to a theater near you. Or you can wait to see it on television as CNN will broadcast the film on October 24th.
Here is the trailer.
