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DHD has just received this note from Fisher Stevens:
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 years 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
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That is a shame. Fisher’s a really nice guy. It’s alright though. This film has so much buzz around it, that the youth of Japan will at least be exposed to it.
As with whaling, the Japanese seem to have “stick your head in the sand” approach to these problems. It’s a great movie, I hope you guys can find a distributor brave enough to release it in Japan.
Why are you surprised?
Give it away in Japan.
Torrent a Japanese version if necessary.
Making them pay for a scolding is not going to work.
Brilliant idea. Giving it away on the streets of Tokyo during the festival. If Piracy is an issue- create them with watermarks.
i think it’s actually 23, 000 dolphins that are killed a year, not 2300. this film is amazing, everyone should see it. great job fisher.
typical American hypocrisy, condemn the Japanese for killing dolphins in a movie produced by a man named “Fisher.”
Fisher,
Mixing politics and film IN JAPAN. What. Did you think they’d be happy that you’re outing them? Be happy about your movie and move on.
Fisher,
I want to see it, but you should take your pal Lytton’s strategy and give it away. In fact, take it to Cannes and give it away the exclusive Toho party (where they spend gobs of money to fly in sushi). Good luck with everything else on the film.
dan
Dear Fisher,
Sometimes things do not always go the way we hope in life. However, don’t you think writing a letter to an industry trade to complain is going a bit too far?
Maybe you can get them to screen it if you include the video of you and Ben Silverman singing in the bathroom in towels. Blockbuster baby!
Join me in the group, “Fuck off, Japan…leave the whales alone”.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7251222651&ref=mf
Also, you can join and support the Sea Shepherd Society
As someone who lived in Japan I can tell you that as a culture they have an amazing gift for self delusion on a wide variety of issues. Wake the fuck up, Japan and leave the whales and dolphins alone.
I do believe Tokyo is considered an “A” level festival by the organization that governs all international festivals. To get that rating, it requires several things….including a limitation on the amount of times you can have screened at other accredited festivals. Not to be a pill, but I imagine 13 is probably over the limit…
Please, as if the Japanese would practice free speech if it goes against govt’-sanctioned business. Oh, did I say Chinese? Yeah….
Whaling is totally acceptable in Japan and so is eating whale meat _ it was once a staple of school lunch programs. Dolphins are considered a kind of whale in Japan and most Japanese actually do know this type of thing is going on. Having this screen in Japan would be liking screening a movie that scolds Americans for eating cows and pigs. Obviously no distributor in Japan will pay to distribute a movie that will make zero yen at the box office. Put it on YouTube and hope for the best.
Why do the animal rights people feel its their obligation to shut down industries that employ PEOPLE and put food on their tables?
But forget about that, the dolphins need someone to champion their cause forget about the PEOPLE whose job will be lost if the cove is shut down.
We must save all animals, who cares about the people whose livelihood depends on utilizing the animals for specific purposes.
“Tired of Animal Rights People” and “Duh” clearly haven’t seen the film.
I saw a screening of this a few months ago followed by a Q&A with director Psihoyos and he mentioned distributing bootleg copies in Japan once they make their budget back. That may be their only option.
Tired of Animal Rights People -
The problem in this specific instance is that these animals are endangered and protected. It is ILLEGAL to kill these animals under international laws, yet Japan continues to allow it to happen. Also, the mercury content of both whale and dolphin meat FAR exceeds what Japan allows to be sold on open market in their country, however; nothing is done about it.
Learn to do some research before you post stuff that you have no idea about.
Fisher, I met with the Japanese Consulate in Denver last year, prior to the slaughter, and, though he was typically polite, he was also dismissive of my mission to convince him to help stop the killing of dolphins. My “tactic” was to show him & his aides how beautiful & unusually intelligent the dolphins are, how almost human-like they are in their lives. And what a shame it was to destroy that. But…I got no reaction, other than a smile and a “thank you for stopping by”.
The Japanese will no more see this movie than they would have “The Rape of Nanking.” Though there are true individualists there, the populace tends to rally around the flag, especially when they are confronted by such horrible crimes. I just hope the free-thinkers over there do all they can to get the message out.
Great film. But better yet this information is out there. This is disgusting. It’s as sick as Michael Vick.
See this film. You will understand.
Thank you.
Most of the Japanese people I spoke to didn’t even want to see the film even though they’re here in the US. “Losing face and pride” is a huge issue in Asian culture, and then on top of that, you’ve got government censorship. The results? Issues like animal rights are buried deep at the bottom of the list.
Having this screen in Japan would be liking screening a movie that scolds Americans for eating cows and pigs.
Like “Fast Food Nation” and “Food, Inc” ? Yeah – our government really stepped in to keep people from seeing those movies. Although I will agree that “freedom of information” is not a Japanese government virtue.
I agree that “The Cove” is going to have to be distributed for free in Japan somehow. Didn’t Michael Moore pull that free download stunt with “Sicko”?
And yeah – it stinks that so many people end up unemployed when an immoral industry is shut down. I feel so sorry for human traffickers. If they can’t force women and children into prostitution for profit what will they do with their lives?!
Earth to Tired of Animal Rights People. We are completely capable of caring for MORE THAN ONE CAUSE AT A TIME. OMG! Animals and people at the same time EVEN!
Join me in the group, “Fuck off, Japan…leave the whales alone”.
You are including Norway and Iceland in that too, aren’t you? Japan is by no means the only nation doing this and we don’t want to imply that this is solely a Japanese issue.
This is my idea:
If your goal is to attain people and spread the word and let japanese people know what is going on,the only way to do it is to put your movie on YOUTUBE and free internet sites.
That way,it might not be profitable $$$,but it will certainely reach everybody .
Like the movie “home”,you will be accessible to anyone that have an internet connexion.And God knows that Japanese people have internet connections all over the place!
Tired of Animal Rights People –
How can you honestly be ‘tired’ of people who want to protect the lives of animals? What harm is there in wanting to stand up for the rights of another living being?
Tired of animal rights people –
This isn’t just an animal rights issue. Dolphin meat is highly toxic/has mercury levels that aren’t safe for human consumption. Yet it’s being sold into the markets there and was even being given away in school lunch programs. The Japanese people have a RIGHT to know this is happening.
re: the livelihood of the fisherman, Taiji is a beautiful city. The local fisherman that do this could potentially replace their income with whale and dolphin watching programs, which have proven very lucrative in other parts of the world.
To “Just wondering”. You are right that TIFF is a FIAPF-accredited festival, but the requirement you’re talking about only applies to the competition program. The film could screen in the natural TIFF section without problem.
Internet… are they banned from certain things on the internet?
Show it on the internet.
Hand out copies to people on the street.
Hi Fisher
One correction to your story, it’s actually according to the movie 23,000 dolphins not 2,300. Either way it needs to be stopped and it’s getting incredibly close to the killing season commencing in September. Let me know if any protests are being planned.
Regards, Rosie
it is immoral to kill these animals for food and make a living off it. the whales and dolphins are not edible as they are PROVEN to be toxic. they are victims are stupid, insensitive and greedy people. and really who care if the japanese fishermen lose their jobs over this. they should not be doing it anyway. they are eco-terrorists.
Hey there “Tired of Animal Rights People.” Did it ever occur to your pea-brain that humans ARE animals? And you just proved why we shouldn’t be elevated above the rest.
It should be added and noted, along with what has been said here, that whaling is also not a sustainable industry. Besides my outrage at the cruelty and inherent dangers to consumers, cetaceans take from 6-25 years to reach sexual maturity and even then only having 1 calf per adult female. Hunting these animals is not only wrong morally and ethically, but also economically. Especially under the guise of “research” or supplemental industry. As a marine biologist, I know fecundity rates and cetaceans do not have the ability to rebound under such pressures. As for just “moving on” – sorry this revolution is going to keep coming around until it’s heard.
I saw dozens of porpoise skulls on a dock south of Tokyo, and the
last time I was in Tokyo itself you could buy whale meat in the 7-11 for 700 yen per individual portion.
I had a mega big gulp instead, and then I went on a tirade when I got pulled over on a coastal highway.
Go Greenpeace.
That totally proves and makes even more obvious how much they have to hide… there’s still Internet when I think they could didn’t block the news about the Cove…specially this one… it would be a really good protest contact a right animals org. with some respect in Japan to make a pacify protest on the opening of this festival. But im not sure how are the law in Japan maybe thats like a big big crime: speak up.
Well the distributors are just such scared… i mean thats pretty obvious something big controls that! The only way to make that more outspoken is writing to newspapers there and make the rest of the world talk aloud about the Cove. I think this globally world can also bring up some facilities to spread the information that otherwise would be blocked out…
(Next documentary i would suggest one name… HLS… it would be interesting to know how a company finned more than 500 in 5 years keeps working… and how people who talked first about it are in federal prisons, not for doing any act but free speech… u don’t need to go to Japan to find some incredible things in our century in our supposed free countries).
Show it on the streets as O’Barry did in the film, give free copies to people! There are Japanese people everywhere as tourists or immigrants, go to them and they will share with their relatives.
Nowadays, with the exposure this movie has got, there is no way the Japanese government will stop us! We will succeed!!!
@ butseriously: no i’m going to say humans are humans not animals.
all i’m saying is that these fisherman should have the right to make a living off of the dolphins without being demonized by this movie and animal rights activist who seem to value an animals well-being more than a humans.
To the people bringing up that dolphin meat is toxic and has high levels of mercury as long as the people eating dolphin meat no that its dolphin meat it’s their prerogative.
butseriously,
I totally agree with you!
I did not sleep through the night after seeing the film, and have been thinking about it most of today.
The film stated 23,000 dolphins not 2,300 are killed each year and at that rate it won’t be long before there are no dolphins left. I know the WWF is busy but I do want to know why they are not making a public protest about this slaughter, and the inhumaneness of the capture of dolphins.
I have two Japanese friends who live in Nara and I will be writing to them about this situation. One of them may have friends in high places and my hope is that she will be able to be heard about the dire need to stop this.
I have over the years sent her cards with Green Peace address labels but this time I feel compelled to openly ask her to do what she can to get the word out about this atrocity. I know Japan does not have the resources that we Americans are so accustomed to, and this is similar to the tigers and lions being poisoned in Africa. We do need to look at how animals are treated on production farms/warehouses in the U.S.
Out of curiousity, why does everyone decide to go after the Japanese, (This is relating specifically to Whaling) with significantly more gusto than going after Norway. If we look on a per capita basis, the Norweigans hunt significantly more than Japan. Generally, numbers are about the same though.
Shouldnt related media be going after Norway equally? Because as it stands now, being entirely focused on the Japanese, it looks like they’re trying to evoke the ‘Yellow Peril’, and frankly, that doesn’t fly with me. On that note, while I don’t put animal rights activists under one banner, there are the more irrational people calling for let’s say “extreme violence(such as the use of nuclear weapons)” against the Japanese. If anyone you know ever mentions things like that, could you please correct or condemn them?
Tired of Animal Rights:
What part of “illegal” and “protected” did you not understand?!
Usually when someone is doing something illegally, even if only to make a living for their family, does not mean it suddenly becomes ok.
“OH, but you want to sell crack to support your family?! Well, why didn’t you just say so, go ahead…..as long as you’re doing it to support your family.”
Its umbelievable how some people think that kiling a dolphin its a job!if you work with that you don’t have any rights!you are a murder and murders should be at the jail!
Way down on the response list to be taken seriously, but most of these posts are irrelevant. Read the story. The problem is that Tokyo Film Festival tags itself as GREEN (for the second year in a row. If the producers are that outraged, why didn’t they try and premiere the film there instead of touchy-feely Sundance?). The Japanese’s government’s stance is clear, regardless of whether you agree with it or not. Submitting The Cove to the Tokyo Film Festival is a stunt – a clever stunt but a stunt nevertheless, targeted to catch the festival on its eco-branding which is as phony as most worldwide corporate attempts to cash in on the ‘green’ dollar. Has the film been submitted to any Norwegian festivals? Has anyone ever heard of any Norwegian film Festivals? If the film was accepted by Tokyo, part 2 of the stunt is to withdraw the film in protest due to Japan’s dolphin (not whaling – watch the film) policy. The producers will never freely release the film. This is being done for domestic profit and PR, just as the dolphin industry is done for profit (been to a water theme park lately?). The true crime against the Japanese people as detailed in the film, is that the toxic dolphin meat is being deceptively sold as whale meat. (Vegans avert your eyes). It’s like finding out that your Big mac (or filet mignon) is actually a poisoned race horse! The rest is cultural difference – whale numbers are actually quite healthy these days – unless you believe free speech is only for those who agree with you.
The only way the Japanese will get it is to BOYCOTT JAPAN at all costs. Hit it where it hurts. This society needs to stop its killing machines. Dolphins, Whales – turn in your Priuses.
@ Sick — you’re an ignorant fool. HUMANS ARE CLASSIFIED AS ANIMALS, MORON.
Because of people like is the reason the polar peaks are melting you just don`t give a damn poor you
It is actually 23 000 dolphins that are killed each year in Taiji, not 2300.
You can take action by signing this petition demanding dolphins slaughter in Taiji to stop : http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-dolphin-slaughter