When it comes to film, a single moment can change a person’s life forever. The magic of this medium has the power to profoundly change the way an individual can feel or think. Throughout history, film has been used as entertainment, education, propaganda, and indoctrination. Moving images hold an immense resonance with the viewer, but also with the individual behind the camera. The prospect of creating one’s own art, of expressing creativity and imparting knowledge through film attracts many artists to the medium. This call is answered by many, and can often be traced to a single defining moment in a person’s life.
Gabriela Cowperthwaite is an individual that had such a moment. The daughter of an American real estate developer and Brazilian psychoanalyst, she grew up speaking Portuguese in Denver, Colorado. Cowperthwaite often remarked that her life was a relentless pursuit of the truth, but she didn’t always have the means to express it. She graduated from Occidental College with a degree in Political Science, and was on track to complete her Ph.D at USC. However, that all changed after she made a trip to Guatemala. It was there that she witnessed a woman with a camera in her bag, going around and interviewing local children. The moment moved her so much that she dropped out of her doctorate program and she enrolled in a documentary film course at USC. Despite never picking up a camera before, Cowperthwaite knew she had found a new home. “It changed my life,” she said in an interview with LA Weekly.
From a simple documentary film class, Cowperthwaite embarked upon an incredible career in the film industry. Her first film related job came in making a documentary about high speed crashes. From there she directed, wrote, and produced documentaries for the History Channel, Animal Planet, National Geographic, Discovery, and ESPN. Her first directorial debut came in 2009, with the film LAX: An Urban Lacrosse Story. Cowperthwaite was immersed in the Los Angeles inner city for eight months during the making of the film. Her work chronicles the lives of six twelve year olds as they struggle through middle school, in lives filled with violence in gang-ridden neighborhoods.
Cowperthwaite has recently been in the spotlight for her 2013 film, Blackfish. Focusing on the killer whale named Tilikum (responsible for the deaths of 3 individuals), it has caused an immense stir and controversy. Cowperthwaite admitted it was not a film that she could had made if she was concerned with “who I pissed off.” Blackfish especially created a controversy with SeaWorld, which has since dismissed the film as completely inaccurate and misleading. Cowperthwaite, however, hasn’t backed down from criticism and continues to work in the field of documentary tackling difficult subjects.
A visionary doesn’t have to be someone gifted with natural abilities and skills. They just have to possess the passion for creating art, no matter what the consequences. They can emerge from any walk of life, or at any point in their life. Gabriel Cowperthwaite was headed in a completely different direction in her life when her sudden realization of film proved to be a game changer. This passion for investigation and telling the truth has lead her to become a prominent filmmaker. Documentary filmmakers often find themselves embroiled in controversy, but those who stick to their convictions don’t back down. Gabriela Cowperthwaite isn’t the kind of person to shy away from a challenge, and this relentless drive is what makes her our Visionary profile for this week. Aspiring undergrads should take notice of her story. It is proof positive that a single moment can change a person’s life and career forever.
Written by Jacob Smith Chamelin
Web Content Writer
Visions FIlm Festival & Conference
Wilmington, NC
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