SeaWorld pushes back against 'Blackfish'

While "Blackfish" was snubbed by the Oscars, that doesn't mean that the film has faded away.  Quite the contrary, as the movie's director was in San Diego last week and made at least two appearances.  One was at KPBS, where she was interviewed for One Year After 'Blackfish,' SeaWorld Goes On Offensive.

The documentary "Blackfish," about SeaWorld and killer whales in captivity, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2013. A year later, the debate continues and SeaWorld is going on the offensive.

The accompanying article at the KPBS site has more.

The movie 'Blackfish' has grossed $2 million at the box office. That's quite a feat for any documentary. It has been seen by more than 21 million TV viewers, thanks to its broadcast on CNN.

The enduring controversy about 'Blackish' has made it impossible for SeaWorld to ignore.

She also spoke at a local high school, which ABC10 covered in Local high School students discuss 'Blackfish' documentary with filmmaker.   Unfortunately, the video isn't embedding, but the reporter read an excerpt from a statement by Sea World.  Here's the text of the complete statement.

"As we responded a few weeks ago to the filmmaker's debate challenge, we have no interest in helping promote a film this dishonest and manipulative. Our position has not changed. We did not receive any specific invitation from the schools regarding today's screenings. We would like to thank Kearny High School for inviting us to provide a SeaWorld presentation to their students last week. We applaud the school's desire to provide its students information on both sides of the issue to help them make a more informed decision. It's unfortunate that we did not receive invitations from the other schools to provide a SeaWorld presentation to their students."

Looks like Gabriela Cowperthwaite hit a nerve.  Good luck to her and her crusade; she'll need it.