Blackfish, film about captive whales, among highlights of East End Film Festival

A still from the film Blackfish, which will be screened at the Rio Cinema as part of the East End Film Festival

There are no longer any killer whales in captivity in this country.

Thankfully the cruel practice of keeping such large and intelligent marine creatures in swimming pool-like tanks came to an end in Britain the early 1990s, before which time performing orcas had been a feature of zoos including the now defunct Windsor Safari Park.

But there are still dozens of these animals in captivity, most in the United States, where the fractious debate about their fate has blown up with renewed intensity since the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, who died when she was dragged underwater by a huge male killer whale called Tilikum in 2010.

Killer whales form deep bonds with family members, but Tilikum was parted from his family when he was captured off the coast of Iceland aged just three.

His life, and the business of capturing wild creatures and making them perform for entertainment, is the subject of a new film set to be screened in Hackney as part of the East End Film Festival.

Described as “emotionally wrenching”, the movie is being screened on 29 June at the Rio Cinema in Kingsland Road.

It is one of several hard-hitting flicks to form part of the festival this year.

Other highlights include Inch’Allah, about a doctor’s experiences monitoring pregnant women in a Palestinian refugee camp, and 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film, which follows a group of activists occupying New York’s Zuccotti Park.

The East End Film Festival runs from 25 June until 10 July at various venues throughout Hackney and Tower Hamlets. For a full programme of films click here.