From orcas to a warrior dog’s life

‘Blackfish’ director Gabriela Cowperthwaite dives into the world of feature films with ‘Megan Leavey.’

Gabriela Cowperthwaite was on the outskirts of Cartagena, Spain, directing her first feature film when she learned that SeaWorld had decided to phase out its killer whale performances. It was November 2015, just over two years after the release of “Blackfish,” her documentary about orcas in captivity.

Ever since the movie’s debut in 2013, the director had devoted nearly all her time to advocating on behalf of the theme park’s whales. “Blackfish” sparked a public outcry — celebrities urged their fans to boycott the park, government officials proposed legislation banning the breeding of orcas — and Cowperthwaite wanted to capitalize on the momentum.

But she also needed to get back to her day job: you know, filmmaking. Which is how she found herself in Spain, making “Megan Leavey,” the story of a real-life U.S. Marine who forged a deep bond with her bomb-sniffing K-9 while ferreting out explosives in Iraq.

On the day Cowperthwaite found out SeaWorld had acquiesced to public pressure, she was in