Taking The Cove, The Incredible Account Of Dolphin Slaughter, To Japanese Theaters

The Cove, last year’s Academy Award winner for Best Documentary, is an incredible account of the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. Now the crew needs help bringing the damning film to the Japanese public.

I just watched The Cove recently, and in its hour and a half run time, it manages to cover an incredible range of material that could easily fill three documentaries of their own. The film touches on the corrupt dealings through which Japan leverages power in the International Whaling Commission, looks at the cultural history of whaling and dolphin-hunting in Japan, and, most remarkably, shows how a team used custom, cutting-edge spy gear to infiltrate and videotape the titular cove, a heavily guarded lagoon where over a thousand dolphins are killed every year. It’s edge-of-your-seat type stuff that stands up against any heist movie I’ve seen.

Ric O’Barry, a controversial dolphin activist and protagonist of The Cove, has put out a call for donations to help support his impending trip to Japan to screen The Cove in 27 theatres. O’Barry says, plainly, “We think the people of Japan will press for an end to the dolphin slaughter if they know the truth.” And having seen this powerful film recently, I think he’s right. [The Cove]