Movies | February 09, 2010 | 6 comments

‘The Cove’ Breaks Into Japan

source: http://carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/the-cove-breaks-into-japan/

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jefftego
The filmmakers behind “The Cove” have been open about their goal: not to win an Oscar – though they wouldn’t mind – but to stop the dolphin slaughter that the documentary depicts. They may have moved one step closer to that goal with the news that the Oscar-nominated film, which shows a secret dolphin-killing field in Taiji, Japan, will now be distributed in Japan. The Japanese company Medallion Media is planning a tentative release date of April 2010, according to a statement released late Monday by the filmmakers’ representatives. The director, Louie Psihoyos, considers the move a coup because the film had drawn the threat of legal action in Japan.

It was a last-minute addition to the 2009 Tokyo Film Festival, whose chairman, Tom Yoda, denied reports that the government-funded festival was under pressure not to screen it. But he admitted that there was opposition to the movie and potential for controversy. Most Japanese are unaware of the methods used to hunt dolphins, and those that saw the film were horrified, Hiroko Tabuchi wrote after the screening last fall. But, he added, outlawing the practice, seen as a part of Japanese heritage, also seemed like an uphill battle.

“In distributing ‘The Cove’ we are not taking sides,” Norio Okahara, the director of Medallion Media, said in the statement. “Rather, we are presenting the film for the Japanese people to decide for themselves about the issues it raises. There is a debate to be had here and this important film – and the Academy Award nomination only serves to reinforce its importance - offers the opportunity for such a debate.”
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    Community,   Entertainment,   Green,   Movies,   2 more
  2. tags:
    Japan,  Documentary,  Dolphins,  The Cove,  2 more
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6 comments // ‘The Cove’ Breaks Into Japan

  • covelogibbs
    • +1
      covelogibbs  
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    • I bought "The Cove" from iTunes and I highly recommend it. Heartbreaking story and awe inspiring film making for sure.

      Although this Dolphin fishing practice seems quite shocking, 32,000 killed at this one location annually, doesn't that pale in comparison to the 40,000,000 sharks we kill annually just for their fins? Don't get me wrong, I love dolphins and would never want to kill, let alone eat one, and I don't want to take away from the importance of the dolphin issue, but I do think that as one of the main ocean "apex" predators, the shark should have special protection. Shark extinctions could have dire consequences for out planet. Unfortunately, for them, they're not as cute and cuddly as dolphins. :(

      What do you think, am I just muddying the waters or do I have a valid point, or both?

      http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/go-for-the-green/green-brain-shark-finning.h...

      http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ZUXitIQ0g-g/SCHJuSd1NeI/AAAAAAAAAoU/ffRPcKpwxl4/s400/s...

    • 2 years ago
  • jefftego
    • 0
      jefftego  
    • covelogibbs:

      You definitely have a good point about protecting sharks. Both dolphins and sharks have been here for tens of millions of years prior to human evolution and we are impacting them drastically.

      I think both need special protections. I also think both issues, at their core, come down to respect for other animals. Both shark finning and the slaughter of dolphins are inhumane, arrogant practices.

      I think it comes down to changing the way we think about our treatment of other animals and protecting the ocean environment.

      I personally can't place one of these issues (sharks or dolphins) as more important than the other.

    • 2 years ago
  • covelogibbs
    • 0
      covelogibbs  
    • jefftego:

      I meant to say that I think sharks are at greater risk than dolphins, simply because of the larger numbers being taken annually. Since I don't know their respective populations, this is an assumption. They both need protecting for sure and the loss of either would probably be devastating to our ecosystem.

      In America we eat neither shark nor dolphin, but Smithfield Foods, Inc.,based in Smithfield VA, is the worlds largest producer of pork and has a daily slaughter capacity of around 80,000 hogs per day. Smithfield's largest slaughter house in Bladen County North Carolina is able to slaughter over 30,000 hogs per day. I don't think comparing the slaughter of farm raised animals, no matter how inhumanely treated, with the slaughter of wild animals is a good comparison. No one is replacing the sharks and dolphins taken for example, while Smithfield hogs give birth to almost 40,000 piglets daily. I think there are repercussions with both.

      Sorry to go off on another tangent.

    • 2 years ago
  • Ajil
  • jefftego
    • 0
      jefftego  
    • Ajil:

      If you got that reaction from the trailer, just wait until you see the movie. In addition to provoking a response, the movie is incredibly well done. And there are a lot of ways to become involved to help put an end to this.

    • 2 years ago
  • DanPersons
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