"The Cove" Rejected By Tokyo Film Festival

[Mulboyne]

[floatr][/floatr]Deadline Hollywood: Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Tokyo Film Festival

Deadline Hollywood has just received this note from Fisher Stevens [Producer]:

I have been involved with many films over the years as an actor, director and producer. But working on The Cove has been one of my proudest moments in 28 years of being in the business. Getting the opportunity to make an exciting film, and one that can actually make a difference, is why I got into filmaking in the first place. That is why I was so disappointed that our film, after winning awards in the last 13 film festivals it had entered, was rejected by the Tokyo Film Festival, whose theme this year is green. Not that it is that much of a shocker, but the main goal for making the film was to shut down the cove in Taijii, Japan, where 2,300 dolphins are killed every year. Most of the Japanese population has no idea that this is going on. What better way to let them know than to premiere it on the green carpet of this year's festival. We have sold the film in over 20 countries and sadly have yet to find any distributor who will go near the film in Japan. We will continue to do our best to get the film out in Japan but it is a shame that, after being accepted in festivals all over the world, that we couldn't get into this one.

Sincerely,

Fisher Stevens

Spotted by Jason Gray.

[Ketou]

No surprise indeed.

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

No surprise indeed.

Not really. The Tokyo Film Festival has never had the biggest range of films in the world circuit and the crowds they attract are more tempted on the big blockbuster rather than critical analysis of smaller releases regardless of the subject.

I'm sure a distributor would pick it up if they thought there is a market for it and any profit made would outweigh the hassle they would get from a noisy minority.

For all we know the film could be shit and to say that most of the population does not know what is going on, maybe he is getting the respect he deserves.

[Takechanpoo]

It is undoubtedly reasonable that a crazy film produced by crazy for crazies should be rejected in civilized country.
These crazies just shout, "Vandalism! Vandalism!! Vandalism!!!" without any single objective research.
We Japanese should massacre all these crazy cult believers like killing cockroaches.

[American Oyaji]

I really don't know why we tolerate you...

[wuchan]

I really don't know why we tolerate you...

If we ban him it may fuck up our train ride home form work.

[Midwinter]

It is undoubtedly reasonable that a crazy film produced by crazy for crazies should be rejected in civilized country.
These crazies just shout, "Vandalism! Vandalism!! Vandalism!!!" without any single objective research.
We Japanese should massacre all these crazy cult believers like killing cockroaches.

I'm wishing cancer upon you.

[IkemenTommy]

This same subject has been brought up many times before
here http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19112
here http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23375
and here http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4742

Not really. The Tokyo Film Festival has never had the biggest range of films in the world circuit and the crowds they attract are more tempted on the big blockbuster rather than critical analysis of smaller releases regardless of the subject.

Especially when the crazy otakus will most likely be competing with their hentai anime convention around the same time, somewhere in Tokyo (either Big Site or Makuhari...), you know where the bigger gig will be.

I feel like showing up to this Tokyo Film Festival drunken wasted and crashing it.

[Coligny]

I really don't know why we tolerate you...

Every village needs an idiot... And as long as he got the job, less people look funny at me...

[Samurai_Jerk]

It is undoubtedly reasonable that a crazy film produced by crazy for crazies should be rejected in civilized country.

Yeah, but that doesn't explain why it was rejected in Japan.

[sublight]

And today the Yomiuri ran a 2-line puff piece about swimming with dolphins in Izu.

Divers swim with dolphins in waters off Mikurajima island--one of the Izu Islands of Tokyo--on Friday afternoon. Dolphin-watching tours have become a popular attraction among visitors to the island, which is one of the largest habitats for Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. About 270 such dolphins are known to inhabit the waters.

[Mulboyne]

[dimwit]

Separately, film critic Roger Ebert has called The Cove "a certain Oscar nominee" in his review.

Being the bloated whale that he is, I suppose a certain amount of empathy can be expected.

[Mulboyne]

Being the bloated whale that he is, I suppose a certain amount of empathy can be expected.

He shed quite a lot over recent years. He also got knocked for six by a bout of thyroid cancer last year which has taken out his vocal chords.

[Mulboyne]

AFP: Aussie town dumps Japan sister city over dolphins

An Australian town with deep historical ties to Japan has severed its sister city relationship with a Japanese village to protest an annual dolphin slaughter, civic leaders said Monday. Councillors in the remote West Australian town of Broome voted unanimously to end sister city ties with Taiji at a meeting on Saturday because they felt the dolphin cull was unacceptable, said Broome's mayor, Graeme Campbell. The decision was taken reluctantly, he said, as Broome's links to the southern Japanese village dated back to the late 1800s, when Japanese migrants pioneered the Australian town's pearl diving industry. "It's a sad day for Broome, given the historical and cultural contribution made by many people from Japan to the town and the number of people living here who still have relatives in Taiji," he told AFP. "It's very disheartening and sad for those people. It was a unanimous decision by council, none of us can condone the slaughter."

Animal welfare activists accuse Japan of slaughtering some 2,000 dolphins every year in waters near Taiji by driving them close to the shore then hacking them to death. The cull is the subject of a recently released US documentary called "The Cove", in which filmmakers covertly recorded dolphins being killed near the village. Campbell said the documentary had resulted in Broome being inundated with protests against the sister city relationship. "We've had a tsunami of electronic and written protest to us, both nationally and internationally," he said. "We had 5,000 emails in one day." He said there were concerns the links to Taiji could lead to visitors avoiding Broome, some 2,200 kilometres (1,370 miles) northeast of the western hub of Perth, which is reliant on tourism. "That was a consideration that was taken in when councillors were examining the issue," Campbell said.

He said Broome would be keen to resume the sister city relationship with Taiji if the dolphin slaughter was stopped. "I have no doubt that they (Taiji) will be extremely saddened and disappointed by the decision," he said. "Whether or not it has any effect is up to themselves," he added.

[BO-SENSEI]

Needless to say, this documentary has done irreputable damage to Taiji's reputation. Understandable move by Broome, but are the people of Taiji going to be influenced by what the rest of the world thinks about their tradition or are the going to keep to their traditions, disturbing to most of the rest of world it may be? It's going to be interesting to see what impact, if anyone, this has on the people of Taiji.

[IkemenTommy]

Needless to say, this documentary has done irreputable damage to Taiji's reputation. Understandable move by Broome, but are the people of Taiji going to be influenced by what the rest of the world thinks about their tradition or are the going to keep to their traditions, disturbing to most of the rest of world it may be? It's going to be interesting to see what impact, if anyone, this has on the people of Taiji.

Pfffft... like Taiji was on anyone's hot vacation list. I think this has given them good exposure and some tourism revenue.

[Ketou]

Needless to say, this documentary has done irreputable damage to Taiji's reputation. Understandable move by Broome, but are the people of Taiji going to be influenced by what the rest of the world thinks about their tradition or are the going to keep to their traditions, disturbing to most of the rest of world it may be? It's going to be interesting to see what impact, if anyone, this has on the people of Taiji.

It will bring something that has been lacking up till now, debate.
The hard-core will just move into their shells but it will wake up the moderates and apathetic.

[BO-SENSEI]

Pfffft... like Taiji was on anyone's hot vacation list. I think this has given them good exposure and some tourism revenue.

The next time they even think about doing this the town might be swamped with protesters and media, I am not so sure that is the kind of exposure they were looking for. I am all for tradition, but hacking up dolphins doesn't seem like one of those traditions Japan couldn't stand to lose.

[IkemenTommy]

The next time they even think about doing this the town might be swamped with protesters and media, I am not so sure that is the kind of exposure they were looking for. I am all for tradition, but hacking up dolphins doesn't seem like one of those traditions Japan couldn't stand to lose.

I don't know what the BFD about hacking up dolphins. They are not even in any threat of extinction. I guess the dolphins figured it all out by having those scary grins on their faces, they can score sympathy points from humans.

[Catoneinutica]

The Japanese seem to be congenitally unable to examine the more unappealing aspects of their society; it's all taboo. Then again, the Spanish don't like admitting that theirs was a fascist state until 1975 ("Generalissimo Franco is still dead") and the French still stammer over their mixed WWll record and, along with the Brits, their various colonial misadventures.

Anyway, it's really amazing how so many Japanese can profess to being completely unaware that a group of their compatriots are wontonly torturing intelligent animals; it'd be akin to, say, Australia having a town where bear-baiting or dogfighting was a big occupation (oh yeah, dogfighting is legal in Japan, too; Michael Vick, you out there?).

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I think everyone involved in this debate gets waaaaaaay too overheated. I'm by no means condoning what Japan does to dolphins/whales/whatever other cretaceous creatures out there, but I think the records of the United States and Australia in having largely "culled" their own indigenous populations (many of the survivors still often live in deplorable conditions compared to other parts of the respective societies) makes it a bit rich of them to be so vociferous.
Now it's become such an emotional issue for all sides involved, I guess a solution acceptable for everyone is impossible...

[Mike Oxlong]

How are the Ainu making out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYEhubSOtcI

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

How are the Ainu making out?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYEhubSOtcI

Fair point....
My apologies for not being clear enough.
Though I used the analogies of the US and Oz (as the loudest complainers, the latter in particular) I guess what I want to say is that every country has its "dirty little secrets" and rather than all throwing insults around at each other it would be better if solutions could be solved in a more amicable manner. I realize I'm speaking pie in the sky BS, but maybe if everyone took a step back and was less emotional there may be some way to come to a compromise rather than seeing hostility build up on all sides.

[sublight]

Anyway, it's really amazing how so many Japanese can profess to being completely unaware that a group of their compatriots are wontonly torturing intelligent animals

Actually, the dolphins are being tortured wantonly.

They're being cooked wontonly.

It seems that the only reason the cove even gets used for this is because the aquarium and marine park owners want their pick of the live ones before the others are butchered and sold off for meat. Otherwise, it could just as easily be done with nets on the open sea, just like tuna.

[Midwinter]

I think everyone involved in this debate gets waaaaaaay too overheated. I'm by no means condoning what Japan does to dolphins/whales/whatever other cretaceous creatures out there, but I think the records of the United States and Australia in having largely "culled" their own indigenous populations (many of the survivors still often live in deplorable conditions compared to other parts of the respective societies) makes it a bit rich of them to be so vociferous.

Whoa, back up there sunshine, we've apologized to our natives. Now our shit doesn't stink and we're free to criticize everyone else. America, leave them muslims alone, Canada, stop picking your nose, and for the love of God Japan, stop killing those fucking fish. Ahhhh, so good...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/world/asia/13aborigine.html

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

Whoa, back up there sunshine, we've apologized to our natives. Now our shit doesn't stink and we're free to criticize everyone else. America, leave them muslims alone, Canada, stop picking your nose, and for the love of God Japan, stop killing those fucking fish. Ahhhh, so good...

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/world/asia/13aborigine.html

Oh, that's all right, then!!:D

[hundefar]

It seems that the only reason the cove even gets used for this is because the aquarium and marine park owners want their pick of the live ones before the others are butchered and sold off for meat. Otherwise, it could just as easily be done with nets on the open sea, just like tuna.

Are you sure? It is a normal and quite old way of killing whales. They do it in the Faroe Islands as well. Up there they have been doing it for hundreds of years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whaling_in_the_Faroe_Islands
Does anyone know how old this method of whale hunting is in Japan? You are right that some dolphins for marine parks etc. are obtained this way, but I am not sure that this is actually the reason for this method to be used such as you claim, since this method has been used for so many years in different parts of the world. I just don't know whether this is a new thing in Japan or not.

[Mulboyne]

They do it in the Faroe Islands as well.

[YT]Oou3N5ylvdI[/YT]

[Mike Oxlong]

Looks like they've got money to burn...

The Japanese town of Taiji on the Kii peninsula is as of now the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale. In the town of Futo the last known hunt took place in 2004. Taiji on the other hand is stepping up its dolphin hunting programs, having recently approved an estimated 330 million yen for the construction of a massive cetacean slaughterhouse in Taiji in an effort to popularize the consumption of dolphins in the country.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin_drive_hunting#Drive_hunting_in_Japan