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Another fantastic activist film, The Cove, is set to hit limited screens around the UK today. This powerful film is the journey that former dolphin trainer turned activist, Ric O’Barry took. Ric was the man responsible for capturing and training the five dolphins used for the film ‘Flipper’ but it was through getting to know these creatures that he became convinced that dolphins should never again be subjected to human captivity.
The film starts in Taiji, Japan, a town which is seemingly devoted to the beautiful dolphins and whales which swim just off it’s coast. However the reality is very different and in a remote cove, surrounded by barbed wire and ‘keep out’ signs there is a much deeper truth. The Taiji fisherman, driven by the multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment market and the market for mercury tainted dolphin meat engage in brutal, and an often fatal hunt. The barbaric nature of their past time and the huge danger to human health mean that they will do anything to stop the truth from being uncovered.
Ric is undeterred and joins forces with film maker, Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to uncover the grim story. They build a team of some of the worlds greatest underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers and world class free divers who take on the local government, police force and fisher men to create a film that exposes the sheer horror of this hidden industry.
The film is part investigative journalism part eco-adventure, and is an absolute must see. Described as an ‘eco-thriller’ (a new genre of film?) it has won critical acclaim at various film festivals internationally.
For more information about the film and to find your nearest cinema visit: www.thecovemovieuk.com The site also has a link to a petition to the Prime Minister to call upon the new Japanese Prime Minister and his government to stop the cruel slaughter of around 20,000 dolphins, porpoises and other whales in Japan’s coastal waters every year and to respect the international ban on commercial whaling. Sign up to make your voice heard. As it says during the film ‘You are either an activist or an in-activist’.
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