‘Blackfish’ Producer to Be Honored by PETA at Fish-Free Restaurant
Manny Oteyza Will Receive Award at Sublime for Groundbreaking Film
For Immediate Release:
April 3, 2014
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Twenty-one million people watched the breakthrough documentary Blackfish when it first aired on CNN in October, changing the way society regards the capture of orcas for a lifetime in captivity in amusement parks such as SeaWorld and the Miami Seaquarium. That’s why Fort Lauderdale philanthropist and restaurateur Nanci Alexander chose the film’s producer, Manny Oteyza, to receive her annual animal activist award, which will be presented to him Sunday afternoon at her gourmet vegan hot spot, Sublime Restaurant & Bar.
When: Sunday, April 6, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
Where: Sublime Restaurant & Bar, 1431 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale
Blackfish has become a phenomenon since its release last year, causing stars such as Willie Nelson and Martina McBride to cancel concerts at SeaWorld, schools to cancel field trips there, and SeaWorld’s own former majority shareholder to drop more 34 million shares of the company’s stock. The film exposes SeaWorld’s horrific capture of young orcas from their families in the ocean, the misery of their lifetime confinement to tiny tanks, and how this cruelty has led the frustrated orca Tilikum—who has worn his teeth to the nubs from chewing on the underwater bars of his cement prison—to kill three human beings, including his trainer in Orlando, although orcas in the wild have never hurt a human.
At least 37 orcas and dozens of dolphins have died at SeaWorld and affiliated facilities from severe trauma, intestinal gangrene, cardiovascular failure, and other conditions. The federal government has cited SeaWorld facilities for violating the Animal Welfare Act.
Oteyza will receive the Nanci Alexander Award at PETA’s invitation-only party hosted by The B-52s’ Fred Schneider, who made a splash last month when he debuted a video exposé of lobster slaughterhouses in conjunction with the 35th anniversary of the band’s breakthrough hit, “Rock Lobster.”
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
