An indoor aquatic stadium captivates its audience as a majestic orca leaps from the large pool. A screen mirrors the thrilling scene, set against the backdrop of a theme park. The structure seamlessly opens to reveal a stunning cityscape in the distance.
A person with long hair in a ponytail is taking a photo with an orca-sized camera lens. They're wearing a blue and white jacket, standing near a body of water with buildings and trees visible in the background.
Two people lean over a large pool to interact with a playful black and white orca. One person gently touches the majestic creature, while the other stands nearby. The pool is surrounded by a netted barrier, ensuring a safe and intimate experience with the ocean's gentle giant.

Orca – Black & White Gold

Conservation·1 x 95 min·Completed

A gripping docu-thriller exposing the illegal orca trade, activists fight to free wild-caught orcas, challenging a billion-dollar market fueled by captivity profiteers.

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Genre
Conservation
Nature & Wildlife
Duration
1 × 95 min
Definition
4K
Audio
5.1, Dolby Atmos
Status
Completed
Year
2022
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Synopsis

A captivating docu-thriller about the international orca trade, illuminating how the export of an American business model is influencing illegal trade in endangered wild orcas, through unprecedented access to journalists, activists, former trainers, and the catchers themselves. 

When a truth-seeking investigative journalist uncovers the illicit Russian orca trade to a billion dollar market in China, fearless activists issue a call to action. The international outcry forces the Kremlin to free over 100 wild-caught orcas and belugas from the infamous “whale jail” facility where they are held captive before their sale to Chinese aquariums. A ragtag team of orca catchers is paid by the government to set them free, launching a dangerous release operation over a thousand miles long, while a former orca trainer goes undercover in China to reveal the heartbreaking truth about life for these highly intelligent animals living in captivity. With unprecedented access to the activists and journalists who have formed a resistance to protect the kings of the ocean, the film also captures the network of businessmen, orca catchers and bureaucrats who drive the global captivity trade, desperately trying to preserve their profit derived from a brutal and exploitative market.

Team

Production companies A Terra Mater Studios production in Association with Diamond Docs
Directed & produced by Sarah Nörenberg
Written by Mark Monroe
Produced by Walter Köhler, Michael Frenschkowski

Team

Production companies A Terra Mater Studios production in Association with Diamond Docs
Directed & produced by Sarah Nörenberg
Written by Mark Monroe
Produced by Walter Köhler, Michael Frenschkowski
Executive Producer Laura Nix, Dinah Czezik-Müller
Edited by Max Kliewer, Verena Schönauer
Music Composed by Sonya Belousova
Director of Photography Sergei Amirdzhanov

Awards & Recognitions

Santa Monica, USA Blue Water Film Festival Grand Jury Award, Social Impact Award 2024
San Francisco, USA 21st International Ocean Film Festival Best Director 2024
Kiel, Germany CINEMARE Int’l Ocean Film Festival Kiel Sister City Award 2024
Dana Point, USA Dana Point Film Festival Best Documentary Ocean Heroes Award 2024
La Jolla, USA Impact DOCS Awards Outstanding Achievement 2024
Hluboká nad Vltavou, Czech Republic International Film Festival “Water, sea & the oceans” Best Film Story 2024
Bristol, United Kingdom Wildscreen Festival Programmer Prize 2024
Sestri Levante, Italy Riviera International Film Festival In Official Selection 2024
Korea International Ocean Film Festival Busan, Korea In Official Selection 2024
Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy Nòt Film Fest In Official Selection 2024
Duga Resa, Croatia SEFF – Smaragdni Eco Film Festival In Official Selection 2024
Innsbruck, Austria INFF – Innsbruck Nature Film Festival In Official Selection 2024
St. Louis Park, USA Twin Cities Film Fest In Official Selection 2024
Rotterdam, Netherlands WFFR – Wildlife Film Festival Rotterdam In Official Selection 2024
Panchgani, India All Living Things Environmental Film Festival In Official Selection 2024
Jackson Hole, USA Jackson Wild Media Awards Best Feature Film 2023
Sag Harbor, USA Hamptons Doc Fest In Official Selection 2023
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