Guest guest Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 > Tokiya Nitta, a lecturer at the School of Marine Science and Technology at > Tokai University who has studied the history of dolphin hunting along the > Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture, said the movie could strengthen the > opinions of opponents of the practice. > > " In Japan, there is a history of hunting the dolphins with feelings of > gratitude and respect because it helped the Japanese when they were faced > with famine because of the war, " Nitta said. " However, foreigners appear > to only focus on the cruel reality of the hunt. " The entire idea behind the documentary was to strengthen the opinions of opponents of the practice. And, yes, I think it is time to focus on the cruel reality of the hunt. Honestly, I can see no " gratitude and respect " exhibited by the Japanese for the dolphins for having fed them during the famine because of the war. Talk about biting the fish that fed you. Thank you Ric and the Directors of the film for a wonderfully made documentary. S. Chinny Krishna > http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201003080235.html > > Town angry after movie wins Oscar > THE ASAHI SHIMBUN > > 2010/03/09 > > " The Cove, " an examination of a bloody dolphin hunt, won the Academy Award > for best documentary feature Sunday to the anger and dismay of residents > of the coastal community where the film was made. > > Directed by Louie Psihoyos, the controversial U.S. film was shot in the > coastal town of Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture. > > The filmmaker employed hidden cameras and microphones because the local > fishing cooperative would not allow the camera crew access to the cove > where the dolphins were slaughtered. > > Local residents were incensed that their faces were filmed without > approval while hidden footage was taken of dolphins being killed. > > A 35-year-old homemaker whose grandfather had worked on a whaling ship > said: " We have eaten whale and dolphin meat for generations. I don't > understand why the film singles out the dolphin hunt for such a negative > reaction. I cannot believe it received an Oscar. " > > Taiji Mayor Kazutaka Sangen and the local fishing cooperative issued a > statement Monday morning that said: " There are elements in the movie that > make false assertions not based on any scientific evidence as though it > were the truth. It is important to possess a spirit of mutual respect > after understanding the long traditions and actual circumstances > surrounding the dietary culture of a region. " > > Officials of the local fishing cooperative claim that some assertions in > the movie are false, including one that dolphin meat was being sold as > whale meat to hide the fact it was contaminated with mercury. > > While there are plans to show the movie at about 20 theaters in Japan this > summer, lawyers for the Taiji town hall and fishing cooperative said they > would lobby for a cancellation. > > Town officials demanded that the movie not be shown at the Tokyo > International Film Festival last fall, but organizers went ahead with one > showing. > > Officials with Unplugged Inc., the distributor of " The Cove, " said changes > would be made before the movie is screened in Japan. The faces of local > residents would be scrambled and subtitles added at the end of the movie > saying there are differences in studies about mercury levels and that > Taiji town was opposed to elements of the movie. > > Tokiya Nitta, a lecturer at the School of Marine Science and Technology at > Tokai University who has studied the history of dolphin hunting along the > Izu Peninsula of Shizuoka Prefecture, said the movie could strengthen the > opinions of opponents of the practice. > > " In Japan, there is a history of hunting the dolphins with feelings of > gratitude and respect because it helped the Japanese when they were faced > with famine because of the war, " Nitta said. " However, foreigners appear > to only focus on the cruel reality of the hunt. " > > Daisuke Onitsuka, a professor of American studies at Shizuoka Eiwa Gakuin > University, said the visual impact of the movie was likely a major factor > behind the winning of the Oscar. > > " While it undoubtedly is a propaganda movie, I believe that overseas it is > not the arguments of the movie that are being accepted, but the clash with > the Taiji fishing cooperative and town officials that was viewed as being > interesting, " Onitsuka said. " The main reason it was praised was the > visual impact produced through the use of hidden cameras. " > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 12, 2010 Report Share Posted March 12, 2010 > > " In Japan, there is a history of hunting the dolphins with >feelings of gratitude and respect If this happened to be true, the net effect over decades of hunting would be to select the dolphins with feelings of gratitude and respect out of the population, leaving only the ungrateful and disrespectful to reproduce. Thus dolphin hunting would come to an end. -- Merritt Clifton Editor, ANIMAL PEOPLE P.O. Box 960 Clinton, WA 98236 Telephone: 360-579-2505 Fax: 360-579-2575 E-mail: anmlpepl Web: www.animalpeoplenews.org [Your donations help to support ANIMAL PEOPLE, the leading independent nonprofit newspaper providing original investigative coverage of animal protection worldwide, founded in 1992. Our global readership includes the decision-makers at more than 10,000 animal protection organizations. We have no alignment or affiliation with any other entity. Free online; $24/year by post; for free sample, please send postal address.] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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