Check Out the Trailer for Wild News Documentary “Whirlybird”

Aerial coverage of breaking news was rare until the '80s and '90s. But pioneers Marika Gerrard and Zoey Tur turned it into a lucrative but stressful business. The married team took video of all kinds of tragedy, but their company really took off once they bought a helicopter, taking to the skies to cover wildfires, riots, and most famously, the O.J. Simpson freeway chase.

Sundance favorite Whirlybird – nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary – takes a look at their groundbreaking and rule-breaking pursuit of journalism, as well as their tumultuous marriage. The film also covers Zoey's gender transition and features interviews with their daughter, award-winning reporter Katy Tur.

Whirlybird will open in limited theatrical release on August 6, with a digital release to follow.

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.