Film about “secret” dolphin hunt in Japan to compete at Sundance
A documentary film claiming to expose the “secret” dolphin slaughter that takes place every year at a cove in the Japanese fishing village of Taiji has been selected as a finalist for the Sundance Film Festival:
Titled “The Cove,” the full-length film directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos and featuring former “Flipper” trainer Ric O’Barry of the Save Japan Dolphins coalition, will have its premiere at the festival before entering worldwide distribution.
In addition to showing the savage, government-sanctioned killing of dolphins herded into a small cove via cameras and underwater microphones, the film highlights the dangers facing those who eat the mammals’ meat.
If you’re looking for some information about the Taiji dolphin hunt, I’d suggest this 2007 article by David McNeill. It includes an interview in which Ric O’Barry expresses his contempt for Japanese anti-whaling activists:
I knew about the slaughter about 10 years ago but I was under the impression that other NGOs were working on it. I didn’t realize until I came here that all they’re doing is putting these graphic pictures on their websites and telling people to write to the prime minister of Japan. And that won’t stop it.
The Japanese groups are under an umbrella and they’re all upset with me because they don’t like westerners coming here and interfering. They say ‘we’ve been working on this for 20 years.’ I say, ‘So how come the Japanese people don’t know this is going on? What have you been doing for 20 years? They say we’re not against whaling, we’re for the whales. It is some kind of politically correct, fucking mumbo-jumbo, what does it mean?
It’s really not so hard to imagine why Japanese activists have had less success with this issue. Western activists can draw upon the financial support of Hollywood stars and people who share their views about the special status of dolphins, giving them a lot of resources with which to carry out their activities. Japanese activists are likely to have far less cash, and the fact that they have to stay in Japan and live with the consequences of their activities would discourage them from some of the law-breaking methods used by foreign film makers. Domestic activists would also probably have less luck with the kind of arguments employed by foreign activists such as O’Barry. Calling a dolphin hunt “genocide” might work in Hollywood, but in Japan it’s mumbo-jumbo.
While most Japanese people think dolphins are cute and probably wouldn’t want to eat them, I doubt many of them think that dolphins should be singled out as special creatures that cannot be eaten. The Japanese media also doesn’t appear to consider the slaughter of dolphins to be any more newsworthy than the slaughter of pigs, cows, and other animals used for meat.
Note: The man in the white car who follows around the activists in the trailer is not a police officer or a gangster. He’s just some fisherman who is monitoring the movements of the foreign activists that try to obstruct his business.
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its always the case of eat the ugly, keep the beautiful
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Nicely said
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Actually, considering some pets I have seen, I think the argument of “keep the smart, eat the stupid” has more weight.
A long time ago man called a dog – and the dog came running. Man thought “good dog, you’ll be my friend”.
Then man called a cow – the cow walked away. Man thought “Where the hell is the cow going? Stupid cow, you’ll be my dinner.”
Although personally, I think this is backwards. You could stand there with a butcher knife and meathook in your hands, and a dog will still come. Cows know better.
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Why are you so defensive about this? If the practice defends itself and the average Japanese person wouldn’t be disturbed by seeing it, then let it be taped and shown to the world.
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Dolphins are by no means endangered species. Anti-whaling is nothing but cult. People in that cult would not realize it until, say, Muslims start anti-pork activities on pig farmers in their country.
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Yeah, but a lot of members of that cult are vegetarians, so they wouldn’t bat an eye at a ban on pork, beef or any other meat.
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But they wouldn’t make films like this about pork because the western audience for which the film is intended would laugh them in the face.
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Like this one you mean?
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=5FBKeYXgm_w
Not much laughing… some abuse maybe, but what do you expect from angry meat-heads
You think all this anti-whaling, anti-dolphin stuff is just anti-JAPAN don’t you?
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And I forgor the most famous anti-animal abuse film, “The Animals”, which one an Oscar I believe.
http://www.victorschonfeld.com/
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And are these guys on the video doing the same emotional campaign for animal right?
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They would realize if someone started anti-vegetable-slaughter activities. It’s so unfortunate that none seems to be much interested in vegetables’ right to live.
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Why does it matter if they are endangered or not? The Japanese are killing these sea mammals in the most brutal way possible and sometimes in front of innocent school children. And if they do continue to selfishly keep killing off these animals, they WILL be extinct.
As an American, I am not blind to the inhumane practices we do to our own animals. I just believe that maybe if Americans will watch this, we will look back on how we treat our ‘dinner’ and maybe make some changes ourselves.
I hope you are reborn as a Japanese dolphin, my friend.
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How many school children are really innocent? Depraved little monsters, the lot of them. I know – I was once a school child.
But it is true that Japanese schoolchildren are faced with brutal and violent death right before their very eyes. I once personally witnessed a housewife stomping, mercilessly, on a poor harmless cockroach right in front of two young impressionable girls.
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It seems we have a real cult member here.
Schwelty, thank you for expressing your view on this issue. But your view does not have any universal value and you cannot dictate Japanese or any other people based on your peculiar view.
Sometimes, a man can get blinded by his own belief, thinking his view is a universally accepted golden rule. You may not believe this, but “animal rights” are not established rights outside your cult. If you think otherwise, prove it.
“And if they do continue to selfishly keep killing off these animals, they WILL be extinct.”
No, they will not. Dolphins are renewable resources just like any sea animals. Just compare seafood and cattle. Which is more environmentally friendly? To raise a cow you need very big farmland from which you have to drive all the wild life out. Think again.
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When you domesticate the Dolphin AND raise it for food, then you’ll almost have a point.
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Never heard of anyone domesticating and raising cod, flounder, sardines, mackerel, or any of several dozen other oceanic food sources….
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Yeah, and how does the current “catch” of cod, flounder, sardines, mackerel, or any of several dozen other oceanic food sources” compare with just a few years ago, let along a few decades ago?
Time to carefully manage what is by nature a renewal resource (i.e. food from the sea) instead of just take take take until there isn’t any more left.
But that would require something very rare – the smart fisherman – so it’s unlikely to happen until at least a few species are completely gone.
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Japanese conservationism and sustainability?!?!?
I’m reminded that the only sea lion known to have become extinct is the … Japanese Sea Lion! Hunted to extinction in the 50s.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Sea_Lion
I actually think this whale and dolphin business is designed to divert attention away from Japan’s hideous over-fishing of other species like tuna.
Anyway, wrt dolphins, I’ve asked several of my Japanese friends about the Taiji hunt (in a diplomatic way of course) and they’ve all replied along the lines of “Heeeehh? Japanese don’t eat dolphins!! Where did you hear that??”
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Reminds me of the time I asked about the deal with kancho’s and was met with a similar response, along with a cherubian look of innocence. Made me actually think the use of it was exaggerated, but oh boy was I wrong
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What do you want to say about Japanese conservationism citing this case?
Any evidence?
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Is there a documentary about the plight of Osaka’s homeless? Foreign contract workers being the first laid off by Japanese manufacturers? The virtual slavery of the “trainee visa” program?
I almost rich I was a rich white kid with rich white kid guilt and not have to worry about getting a real job so I could take international trips and make videos and hang out with Hollywood has beens and get awards from artsy snobs.
On second thought, no I don’t.
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hey level3,,
http://www.aha-projekte.de/publicblue/
there is your documentary.
…its not just rich white kids who know that meat is murder… why should your slippery slope stop at just animals?
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Good find Flonk.
It just shows how REALLY inhuman people really are, caring for cute cuddly animals rather than their own people.
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main site:
http://www.kansaikouen.org/
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It somehow reminds me of “Team America”.
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Thanks James,
Very well written article.
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Shouldn’t that be “which will Affect us all”?
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Since we are on this topic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzuSULcqgxQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85srTdF5YXQ
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And one more thing.
James, thank you for posting the link explaining who the stalker-fishermen are. Your comment, however could have been more objective.
A normal Japanese company, when faced obstruction of business, would file a complaint, call the police and have the people arrested, following a lawsuit. What the fishermen are doing is to threaten and phisically abuse, because if they attract police attetion, it would certainly become clear that their product contains higher than allowed mercury level by the Japanese government.While its nobody’s business to hang at someone’s working place and the fishermen are in their right to ask the filming staff to retreat, follwing them around the town is excesive.
Besides, even if you have done something inacceptable for the Japanese society, would you accept your innocent wife and your child to be abused and called names in public?
BTW, I found a video with the guys in question.Just for information, according to 広辞苑、目障りis ものを見るのにじゃまになること and見て不愉快に感ずること。
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3chsx1gpyjA&feature=related
from 0:26 to 0:32
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So, you admit what those people are doing is obstruction of business, which is a serious felony in Japan, just as in any society. They belong to jail.
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I saw a Japanese guy yelling, but I didn’t see him physically abusing.
There were police men on the video.I guess the fishermen called them.
？？？？ Where were innocent wife and child on the video?
According to new century Japanese English dictionary,
めざわり【目障り】
an eyesore（※見ると不快になる物）; a distraction（※気を散らす物・人）.
I can’t view your first two links because they say,
YouTube のユーザー コミュニティから不適切な動画として報告
BTW I am glad Japanese and Koreans are getting along well on this.
日韓クジラ料理試食会では「味の競演」も
http://www.whaling.jp/news/070525st.html
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anyone here actual had dolphin?? pretty tasty! I say cut down on beef, cut up a dolphin!
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For every animal you don’t eat, I’ll eat 3
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Gosh Jerry, will you really?
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Well I’m up for it
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There’s about 10,000,000 kangaroos in Australia I don’t plan on eating. You better get started.
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Propaganda films, at Sundance? Why, I never…
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Why nobody make movies about the french farmers raising the gooses for foie gras? I’m sure it will get the main prize in Sundace.
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But that would outrage the French! And they’d take action! Like… like… surrendering and then collaborating with the film-makers!
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i think its kind of funny that at one point in the video it says the area is off limits in english, but in japanese it just says watch out for falling rocks. haha, that means they dont want foreigners in.
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