In the 1960s, TV hit Flipper, whose finny stars were trained by Ric O’Barry, helped popularize dolphins as a staple of aquatic parks. This powerful documentary traces O’Barry’s conversion from dolphin trainer to crusader for their freedom. It travels with him to a hidden cove near Taiji, Japan, where each year a few dolphins are selected for shows and the rest—some tens of thousands—are killed as part of a traditional hunt. The film, which has the tension of an espionage thriller, won this year’s Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. Monday, Aug. 30, at 9 p.m., Planet Green
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