(Japan) ‘Cove’ director defiant of base ban

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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/04/ap_airforce_yokota_cove_ban_042210/

 

‘Cove’ director defiant of base ban

 

By Yuri Kageyama - The Associated Press

Posted : Friday Apr 23, 2010 12:15:49 EDT

 

TOKYO — The director of “The Cove†said Thursday that a decision by a U.S.

Air Force base in Japan to ban the Oscar-winning film on dolphin killings and

protests at the local distributor’s office won’t silence the film’s

message on saving dolphins.

 

“The Cove†documents the bloody bludgeoning of dolphins by fishermen in the

western seaside Japanese town of Taiji, where some dolphins are captured and

sold to aquariums while others are killed for their meat. The film has set off a

flurry of debate, especially after it won best documentary at this year’s

Academy Awards.

 

The Japanese government is adamant that whaling and dolphin hunts must continue

for research and cultural purposes. But most Japanese have never eaten whale or

dolphin, and are shocked to see the slaughter.

 

Yokota Air Base, west of Tokyo, decided last week to cancel the screening at its

on-base theater to be “sensitive to local political and cultural concerns,â€

base spokesperson Mitsuru Takahashi said.

 

“The Cove†director Louie Psihoyos said he will give away 100 DVDs of the

movie to people at the base so they can see it.

 

“The military is facing a lot of pressure by our government to make nice of

the Japanese,†he told The Associated Press by telephone from Boulder, Colo.

“We are going to win this battle, with or without the U.S. military.â€

 

The film has not yet opened in Japan, except at a festival and small screenings,

and is set to be shown at theaters in June. The faces of the fishermen and many

other people in the film are blurred out to protect their privacy.

 

In recent weeks, dozens of nationalist protesters with loudspeakers have shown

up at the distributor’s downtown Tokyo office demanding the film not be shown.

Some theaters may choose not to show the film simply to avoid trouble.

 

Psihoyos, executive director of the Oceanic Preservation Society, a nonprofit

that supports protecting the environment, said he was hopeful Japanese will be

interested in what he said was a warning in his movie about the health risks of

eating dolphin meat, which has mercury contamination levels higher than fish.

 

“It’s not just about saving dolphins. It’s about saving humans,†he

said. “This kind of information needs to be freed. We’re going to get it out

there, one way or another.â€