Director calls 'The Cove' his 'love letter' to Japanese people+

TOKYO, Oct. 21 Kyodo -
''The Cove,'' a U.S. investigative documentary about dolphin hunting in
Wakayama Prefecture, made its debut in Japan on Wednesday, with the movie's
director describing the work as a ''love letter'' to Japanese people informing
them of the adverse health effects from eating dolphin meat.

The film, which has prompted criticism of dolphin hunting in the western
Japanese town of Taiji following screenings in countries such as the United
States and Australia, was shown as part of the lineup of the 22nd Tokyo
International Film Festival.
After the screening, director Louis Psihoyos appeared on stage for a
question-and-answer session and emphasized that the movie was more about
protecting human rights rather than arguing for animal protection.
''It's very difficult to argue animal rights because every culture abuses
animals, you know, by the use of animals for food, for entertainment, for
apparel,'' Psihoyos said. ''It's everyone's human right to eat healthy food.''
Noting that some Japanese media have been saying that ''The Cove'' is bashing
Japanese people, he said, ''To me, it's a love letter. I'm giving you the
information your government won't give you.''
The movie shows the pains a special team put together by Psihoyos goes through
to film the killing of dolphins by local fishermen in a hidden cove in the
whaling town of Taiji, the main source of dolphins used for entertainment
around the world and one of some regional areas in Japan where dolphin meat has
traditionally been consumed.
The team includes Richard O'Barry, known for training the dolphins used in the
U.S. TV series ''Flipper'' and later becoming an activist to free dolphins from
captivity, and experts in diving, event production and clandestine operations.
In addition to bringing to light the dolphin killings that take place in the
cove through covert filming after the team was unable to obtain permission from
Japanese authorities for the shooting, the film also highlights health risks to
Japanese people who eat dolphin meat contaminated with high levels of mercury.
''A bottlenose dolphin can have anywhere from five to 5,000 times more mercury
than allowed by Japanese law,'' said Psihoyos, a former National Geographic
photographer.
''It's the tragic irony of this movie that the only way that we can save the
dolphin now is to prove that we've made its environment so toxic that we can't
eat them,'' he said.
Japanese people who watched the movie showed mixed reactions, with some calling
for a halt to the dolphin hunting and others raising questions about some of
the ways the film was made.
''It's a movie that takes up a difficult issue,'' said Mai Miyashita, a
32-year-old housewife living in Tokyo. ''I can only say that (dolphin hunting)
should be stopped immediately...(although) I do not think it will be easy
because the livelihood of people in Taiji depends on it.''
Rikako Yamane, a 21-year-old university student from Tokyo, said she was
shocked to see footage of dolphins being killed by fishermen, but added that
she felt the movie was lacking in the presentation of objective data as well as
the voices of people in Taiji.
Tempei Miyaji, 26, a university student who lives in Germany, expressed concern
that the scene of the dolphin killing was taken covertly.
''I cannot deny that (the movie) is evocative, but there may be some parts that
are exaggerated,'' Miyaji said. ''It would have been good if it had included
what local people have to say and become something that would lead toward a
resolution through talks.''
On the possibility of releasing ''The Cove'' in Japan, Psihoyos said
negotiations are under way ''with a couple of distributors,'' adding that any
profits made from showing it in the country would be offered to the fishermen
in Taiji if they agree to stop dolphin hunting.
The movie was screened only once for the general public during the ongoing
Tokyo International Film Festival.
At a press briefing following the screening, Psihoyos praised the film festival
for its ''courageous act'' to show the film, but noted that the move was made
possible due to the change in government in Japan that ousted the long-ruling
Liberal Democratic Party.
''Three months ago, it would have been impossible to show this film. The
LDP...was an oligarchy and the outgoing powers did not want this film shown,''
he said without further elaboration.
The Democratic Party of Japan scored a landslide victory over the LDP in the
Aug. 30 general election, and a DPJ-led government was launched Sept. 16 -- the
same day the lineup for this year's film festival was announced.
At the time, film festival organizers said ''The Cove'' has been added to the
lineup at the last minute due to high interest from overseas.
The film, however, is not among the 15 films entered in the main competition
section of the film festival and is categorized simply as an ''additional
screening.''
==Kyodo
2009-10-21 23:49:16