Controversial Orca Film Makes Waves at Revolution Oscar Party | Live Culture

Controversial Orca Film Makes Waves at Revolution Oscar Party

by

An orca - COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
  • Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
  • An orca
Revolution, White River Junction’s most ecologically conscious clothing store, will host a proudly biased Oscar party this Sunday evening. Captain Paul Watson, known for his role on the show “Whale Wars,” as well as for his own Whale Warriors academy, will be in attendance to present the “Big Splash Award” to Manny Oteyza, producer of the film Blackfish.

Blackfish, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, documents the consequences of keeping orcas (“killer whales”) in captivity at such venues as the SeaWorld theme parks. Highly controversial upon its release last year, Blackfish caused ripples in environmental and animal-rights communities.

In being denied an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary, Blackfish continues to stir up controversy — precisely the reason for its being fêted at Revolution’s event. A press release refers to the Whale Warriors being “incredulous” about the film’s exclusion from the list of nominees, and speculates that unbecoming financial transactions are part of the reason.

Why celebrate this film (and its message) in Vermont, of all places? As Kim Souza, owner of Revolution, put it in an email, “Vermont may be landlocked, but we all still need a healthy ocean.”

Revolution’s Oscar party will take place both in the store and at the Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 2.
candles in the shape of a 29

Light Our Candles?

Seven Days just turned 29. Help us celebrate and make it to 30!

Donate today and become a Super Reader. We’re counting on generous people like you for 129 gifts by September 27.

New: Become a monthly donor or increase your existing recurring donation today and we’ll send you a framable print of our once-in-a-lifetime eclipse cover photographed by James Buck.

Related Stories

Related Locations

Speaking of...

Tags

Comments

Comments are closed.

From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.

To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.

Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.