Louie is here. Are you?

Welcome to Firedoglake Movie Night! Just a quick couple things before we get started: Refresh your browser every couple minutes to see new comments and replies. To reply to a specific comment, click the reply button under that comment. Please stay on topic, which tonight is the movie The Cove (in theaters now), dolphin and whale hunting, captive dolphin programs and what we can do to help perverse our oceans and its astounding life forms.

And now a warm FDL welcome to The Cove’s director Louis Psihoyos. Thank you SO MUCH for making this movie, and thank you to your team and Ric O’Barry for taking the risks to bring this to the screen.

Hi Louis! Thank you so much !

I’m here!

I guess my first questions are: Now that footage of the dolphin slaughter has come out, so very publicly thanks to The Cove, how has the government of Japan reacted? We just learned that the Taiji Japan’s Australian sister city Broome has severed its ties with that town which hosts the mass killing of dolphins in a secret cove, thanks to residents demanded action after watching the film, “The Cove.”

And what can we do to help stop the capture, sale and slaughter of dolphins?

Glad to be here!

Well, for the first time in many years the government has to react – they are trying to avoid the mercury issue and position the argument as an animal rights issue, which it is but misses the point, it’s about the Japanese government and the Taiji government knowingly poisoning people. People going to see the movie to understand the issues is the most important thing a person can do.

Going to the web site http://www.TakePart.Com/TheCove will get you into the petition and letter writing site.

The director of fisheries lost his job didnt he? that seemd to be a direct result of your work. has he been replaced..and is that person more understanding of both the human and animal issues?

Louie, I watched you movie last night, and thanks for coming to visit us. Other than the International Whaling Commission/Federation, is there any world legal body that action could be pressed in? United Nations?

I suspect I am being naively optimistic in even asking, but thought it was worth a shot.

This movie looks absolutely gripping.

Yes, he lost his job, he was installed at another one within the Fisheries is my understanding, but on a plane ride down to the last IWC meeting I sat next to his boss Akira Nakamae who knew the film was coming out, he saw a preview, a Japanese PSA (Public Service Announcement) of the issues and said that he was in charge of Food Security, not Food Safety, so I wrote the minister of Health for Japan who did not reply, however if you go to their site, the first thing they recommend for a Japanese woman that is pregnant, is a bottlenose dolphin…which can have 5000 time more mercury than allowed by Japanese health laws

This is the MUST SEE MOVIE. I have been encouraging my friends with teen boys to take them to this instead of District 9!

Hi Louie, Folks may differ about eating habits. But the mercury and wiping them out to a point of extinction as the other Japanese village did… well that’s just insane.

The IWC is the only governing body that controls ceataceans. But we have YOU. You can help, we all can. Write a letter to the Ambassador now, or Obama at http://www.TakePart.com/TheCove now… or after this chat…

Today, Japanese TV news NHK World and the large newspaper Asahi Shimbun covered the news of Broome Australia cutting their sister city ties with Taijii Japan and reported on your amazing film ‘The Cove’ As this is one of the first times the annual dolphin slaughter has been covered in the Japanese newsmedia, do you think this will help with your goal of having the film shown in Japan?

Having traveled overseas with rock bands and done film production, I some technical logistical questions. What reason did you give at customs in Japan for having all the equipment? What were your “reasons” for being in Japan on the entry forms?

You have no idea how gripping it is. Critics are saying maybe not best doc, but best picture now that the Academy has expanded the Best Picture field to 10. I’m the director so you expect me to say it, but the movie rocks.

Yes, Japanese media coverage is groundbreaking – they didn’t mention the mercury issue but the reporter who did the interview said it was, “too sensitive” Can you imagine that? That’s the most important issue for the Japanese consumer

We had a carne, put up a bond and declared the gear. We broke the helicopter into so many pieces you would have had to have been an engineer to know what was in 60 cases.

What critics are saying about The Cove…

“The Cove…puts Hollywood capers like Mission:Impossible to shame.
Mary Pols, Time Magazine

“This baby, a cross between Flipper and The Bourne Identity, packed the heat.”
Rolling Stone, Peter Travers,

“I’d be surprised if it doesn’t wind up being nominated in next year’s best documentary feature Oscar race”
Martin Grove, Hollywood Reporter

“One of the most audacious and perilous operations in the history of the conservation movement.”
The New York Time, Jeannette Catsoulis

“It sounds like the plot of a Hollywood spy thriller; but in this film the danger is real.”
Kille and Pierce Brosnan

“This film is going to make headlines.”
Laurie David, Huffington Post

“Races along with the craft and compulsion of a great heist caper.”
Movieline, Michelle Orange

“Work of art and a classic espionage tale.”
Indie Wire, Eric Kohn

“Passionate, exciting, and frightening … the footage is staggering.”
Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine

“A tense thriller”
People Magazine.

“One of the most important and heroic pieces of work I’ve ever seen….the year’s most exciting film”
Huffington Post, Marshall Fine

“devastating, beautiful shot, and occasionally hilarious”
Andrew O’Hehir, Salon Magazine

“One of the more important films to watch this summer.”
Kee Chang, Anthem Magazine

“You MUST see this film.”
Save The Waves

“The Cove is framed as a real-life thriller.”
Wall Street Journal, John Jurgensen

“Some of the films that get in (To the Oscars for best picture) are going to be documentaries. Right now, there are two big ones – Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story, and The Cove.”

“An astonishingly powerful work”
National Post, Chris Knight

“Indignant and forceful”
The New York Times, A.O. Scott,

“Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock, consider yourself warned: there’s a new documentary filmmaker in town, and he means business….I’m going to give it my first ever perfect 10..”
Aaron Horwitz, JoBlo.com

“Wow. Just wow. This is easily one of the most powerful, heartfelt, and (yes, I’ll say it) important ‘nature’ documentaries I’ve ever seen.”
Scott Weinberg, Cinematical

“As entertaining as it is powerful…radiates suspense like no other film in recent memory…The Cove isn’t here to explain, it’s here to do”
Box Office Prophets

“The Cove” is a jaw-dropping experience. Not only does it have an incredible and terrifying story to tell but it also presents its message in such a way that it rivals a multi-million dollar Hollywood production in its use of high-tech equipment.
Ryan Michael Painter, InThisWeek Five out of Five Stars

“Friends don’t let friends eat Apex seafood.” Louie P.

Louie Psihoyos
Executive Director
Oceanic Preservation Society
443 Juniper Ave.
Boulder, Colorado
80304

303-443-3409 tele
303-545-9938 fax
303-807-1891 mobile

it is AWESOME..and i see a lot of docs! I appreciate that you structured it like a “real” movie, with character development tensions and resolutions, plus the build up to the actual infiltration of the cove. It was very cinematic. And I LOVED the hot surfer guy!

How did you get the footage out of Japan?

I was a pescatarian, now I’m trying to become a vegetarian after seeing “End of the Line” but our film is not about food issues as much as about a government knowingly poisoning its people.

You would think after japan’s last mercury scandal and cover up (whihc you go into in the movie) they would be more aware…

We had a dedicated runner whose only job was to secret the film out by train to DHL or Fed-x every day. She always took a different route. The hard drives we’re encrypted so nobody could view them. We hid them in an air-conditioning duct every night until her run…

I think a lot of japanese people will be furious (and very embarrassed by the movie exposure) when they find out business knowingly mislabeled dolphin as expensive rare whale meat.. as well as knowingly sold meat saturated with toxic Mercury.

Alos that s a very angle to have–it;s not just about saving dolphins, bt about caring for one’s people. Some folks dont relate to the animal-preservation/conservative aspect–but themselves and their kids-YES!

The mislabeling is APPALLING!

Japan’s government is more like an oligarchy with a few corrupt people at the top running the show – paying their cronies subsidies to engage in the practice of whaling – there is a media-black-out about dolphin issues – or at least there was before The Cove, so people in Japan are just hearing about the issue now for the first time…

What would have been the consequences had you been caught filming this?

They should be. Also over 1000 tons of toxic dolphin innards are used for fertilizer and pet food! If you have a pet or eat vegetables in Japan you should also beware. Japanese people need to know this. We saw truckloads of this toxic material being carted off to markets every day after dolphin pods were slaughtered.

Why are the Japanese such particularly cruel fuckheads when it comes to our marine critter pals?

Will anyone in Nippon show the movie in theaters? Are any DVD rental places expressing interest?

Or should I say, the Japanese powers that be.

There are two charges against us if we should return, probably three. Trespassing, Conspiracy to Disrupt Commerce and probably photographing undercover police without permission…I’m not going back soon.

How did you retrieve the equipment when done?

Will the movie be released in Japan?

The Japanese people for the most part do not support the industry. I believe if they knew this was going on the dolphin issue would stop

It’s what they eat… always have. It’s like asking a texan to give up beef.

In the US we have captive breeding program for dolphins, along with “swim with dolphin” resorts and even “be a trainer for a day” at some resorts. Who regulates/oversees these programs? Is there a govt agency?

We had to retrieve it every night. Because of the recent issue in Broome, two distributors have asked, just today, to rep the film there. However one wants to release it next summer. The Slaughter resumes in one week, it’s not about money to me – it’s about getting the word out to the Japanese people, we are making a Japanese dubbed version now that will be ready in two weeks, perhaps you tube or the internet. It will get out there to them sooner.

Whatwould happen to the economy in Taiji if dolphin meat and the capture/sale were no longer viable?

If our beef was 5000 time more toxic than our laws allowed, we would not be serving it to our pets, much less our children, which is what the Taiji mayor and his council were doing before two commissioners, now excommunicated from the town for speaking up.

You did succeed in getting dolphin meat removed from schoool lunch programs in Taiji–that was huge!

Yes, we should flood their blogs and all friends we have over there with the youtubes.

Well for starters, innocent people would not be poisoned. They would fish for lobsters or crabs, that’s what their children would rather do. Funny, at Rocky Flats Plutonium plant, that was shut down near my town, they asked the same question, “What would we do if we we not making bombs?”

Is this where the U.S. Navy gets their work dolphins?

Pretty amazing it came out just enough to get it removed from school lunches, but not the rest of the market.

Have to admire the two city councilmen. It’s (as you mentioned) not at all a pleasant society for dissent.

It was mostly Ric O’Barry and his group Earth Island, we had a hand, helped with expenses etc… But it was really the two Taiji commissioners Ryono and Yamashita that are the heroes. Also Elsa Nature Conservancy, Dr. Endo, Naoko from IFAW and Scott Baker…

And what did they end up doing at Rocky Flats?

Japanese saying, “The nail that sticks up must be pounded down”

How did Fisher Stevens get involved?

They got at least one dolphin from Iki Island dolphin drive. Hardy Jones from Blue Voice put a stop to most of the drive by his footage a few decades ago. He’s another true unsung hero in this saga. I love Hardy and his group. Very passionate and committed.

Is there a money trail to follow in the sale of the poisoned meat? Who benefited the most?

And what can be done to stop the sale of dolphins to oceanariums?

Fisher Stevens and I were both diving with Jim Clark, the guy who sponsored most all the movie getting made. Jim brought him in to help finish the film – he brought in Geoff Richman, the editor and Mark Monroe the writer – great group

i wish we could train dolphins to stay far away from japan.. would that make them racist dolphins?

Is The Cove affecting people in those countries which have captured dolphins in amusement parks?

it’s hard to follow the money in Japan – As far as I know there is no Freedom of Information Act – few hard core investigative journalists to go up against the LDP. But that may change, that political party is on the way out I’m told. Not the hope we had here after last elections but Japan wants a change.

I dont support imprisoning dolphins in water circuses, Even though that began when there was real fear that they would be hunted to extinction in the wild.

Rocky Flats, the plant shut down, clean up crews are still there and the workers got less destructive jobs.

Louie, When are you coming to Seattle with your film?
We want to get the word out!

That’s the excuse -we’re saving dolphins. But they are saving dolphins by putting them into prisons.

To see where the film is playing go to http://www.TheCoveMovie.com – we may not be in Seattle any longer….

Your interpreters on the film, have they seen it? Have you been able to get copies into Japan?

That WAS the excuse, and it was a vallid point then. Laws and treaties to ban dolphin killing are better, except when large asian islands completely ignore them

Actually – take a pretty ride up to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands – it’s playing there on Thursday

We’re doing two screening next month in Tokyo – The Foreign Press Club – should have about 150 journalist there.

The interpreters have not seen the film. We should have copies start to roll in there in the next month…

I bet the Moonies are behind all of this. /semi s

Good, it’s playing in DC at E Street right now. Thank you for this movie Louie, I look forward to seeing it ASAP and spreading the word.

I was stunned to learn how Japan is dodging the whaling ban by saying “oh it’s for science not for food that we hunt whales now” but uh…what do they do wiht the whales after they kill them for research/ And WHY? is the big question

that is going to be HEAVY I bet!

Thanks, let us know if you come out this way. We’ll get some of the fishkissers together.

You are welcome – bring some freinds.

Everything you learn from killing a whale you can now learn from non-lethal means. Scientific Whaling is an excuse to do commercial whaling, everyone knows this including the IWC shills Japan pays off to support them, but to be fare, the conservationist pay off countries as well. Paul Watson, of Sea Shephard now pays Ecuador to vote against whaling…

Yes, sorry I won’t be able to make it….It should be fun

The last half of that question’s answer, they sell the leftovers, which is everything, at market

Hey Seattle, the movie is still in Portland! Come on down for a day and see it here.

and what happens to the whales after they kills them for “science” is the meat sold? Or is this just Japans way of saying FU?

I think it was the writer Paul Mathieson who said about whaling , “Nothing is wasted, expect the whale.”

Just saw the movie last night and am getting a group of friends to go again with me. Louie, do I understand that it will be released in Japan? I lived there for 4 years and know they are compassionate people. It’s a strange culture, but I think they will respond when they learn about this.

Who out there is afraid to see the movie? You should know it’s a PG-13 – a child will see more violence in a television cop show.

I think it’s important for kids to see..I was a little afraid I would cry– I cant watch those Disney movies with live animals trying to get home–This move MUST BE SEEN

I believe you are right, once the Japanese people know about this, I believe it will stop, I would love it if it does not start up again on September 1st. Now that the world is watching it will be much more difficult. But we can all help, one thing The Cove proves is that one passionate person can make a difference and that a few of us together can change the world. If you do not believe this, you have not seen The Cove.

What is Ric O’Barry up to now?

What can we do to find out if it does start up again on 9/1? I know your crew can’t go back to Taiji, but maybe others will be there to let the world know? Maybe we just stay tuned on the website?

I think it is most important for children, of teenage years to see the film. I would love it if it was shown in schools, there are so many issues The Cove brings up, the use of animals for entertainment, for food, cultural issues, how we are all contributing to polluting the oceans through the burning of fossil fuels to the point that the only way we can really save the dolphins, the only wild animals throughout history to come to our rescue, is to prove that we have made their environment so toxic they cannot be eaten. It’s a tragic irony.

Preparing to go back to Japan. Brave soul. Real American hero, having achieved the American dream of fame money and success he turned his back on it all to follow his heart. Do you know he was one of the founders of the idea behind Woodstock? Michael Lang gives him credit in his new book. I’m actual writing from a village near Bethal, the real Woodstock now…

If you sign up with us on Facebook – The Cove group you can follow us… My wife is posting the URL now. We’re also on Twitter…

The Cove FaceBook fan site,
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/TheCove?ref=ts

Won’t Ric be arrested upon arrival in Japan?

Twitter, thecovemovie or #thecove

Thanks! I’m not on FB, but I’m a follower on Twitter.

How beautiful! And what ae your plans for the future?

I’ve warned him that he will get arrested. But he’ll do anything for the cause if it brings attention to the issue. Every time he’s been arrested he’s said it’s been at his own device. So he knows what he’s up against if he goes back…

Are you working with any conservation groups to set up screening parties? are schools interested in getting copies?

My plans for the future are to make another film after I’m done trying to get people to see this one. To tell you the truth I’m having trouble understanding why this film isn’t more popular. It’s exciting, high adventure, it’s a thriller, look at the reviews! Even reviewers love this film. But why are people not going in droves? It’s at least as good as any of the top ten docs of all time. Maybe it will take time for the audience to catch up with us. Any ideas? Thoughts on this?

Just curious. Do you know if Atlantic Dolphins are equally heavily laden with mercury?

We’re working with Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace, NRDC, Monterey Bay Aquarium, etc… but we’re having a tough time getting their members to attend, except for Paul Watson’s group, they have been behind us from the get go, they understand there are only a few generations, may one generation left to turn this all around before the ocean is full of only jellyfish.

The average East Coast dolphin swimming off the coast of Megalopolis – the area between D.C. and Boston can have more than 6800 ppm (Part per million) of PCB’s. They are swimming toxic dump sites. A superfund site I believe requires only 200 ppm. If you buried a dolphin that washed up you could be fined for polluting the land!

Louie, I hope you do an film on American health insurance industry sharks next. *s*

I think that documentaries get a bad rap in theatres because people want to be “entertained.” the want to “escape.” and they are afraid they’ll be “bored” (despite the popularity of reality TV shows!) by a real life story. Also I am sure many are haunted by bad docs in high school shown a=on gritty AV equipment…seriously though, this is such an exciting movie. If it were fiction or “based on a true story” feature, people would be racing to see it. I think maybe the fear of “real” blood, real animals is part of it, also that “OH NOES a documentary!” mindset

I haven’t seen any tv ads.

A report on NPR about a movie (with Christopher Walkin and two other top actors) that had gone bust – stated that they didn’t have the advertising funding needed. It was a $20 million production. It needed $20 million for advertising that it could not get. So no movie til DVD.

Sounded like a lot of dough for advertising.

I will go see your movie.

There seems to be an Academy Awards/Oscar buzz though….? As you mentioned it wiht expanded noms in Best Picture there is more opportunity…

You may be right. I thought we could be the film to break out. But the film is so much more than an expose of the dolphin trade. I’m hoping the television release and dvd will bring in a popular audience. Thank you so much though for going, if you did.

Sadly, the dolphins are our friends for soaking up all that poison. Jesus Christ!

What about Florida dolphins. Thats where I live.

Also from the “science”part of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Science, you should see some love!

Bought in 1987 by textbook publisher Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, which owns Sea World…

Owned. SeaWorld has been owned by Anheuser-Busch for a good while now. Now that InBev has taken over Anheuser-Busch, the speculation is that the SeaWorld (and Busch Gardens) parks are on the block once again.

But yeah, it sucks that HBJ closed Marineland.

Thanks, will fix. It’s was weird in retrospect to have John Lilly in a reading book for 7 yr olds, given his psychedelic use and the develoment of the isolatin tank! But this lesson was about his dolphin work

That would indeed hit the film out of the park. The film industry people seem to love the film, the way the complicated story arcs that weave together into a final climax is the stuff of great literature. We set out to make a great entertaining film and I really, truly believe we made a classic. One that will be studied years from now as a turning point in documentaries. Some reviewers are giving it a perfect 10.

Funny thing, Indirectly Stella Artois through it’s parent corporation InBev, who know owns Bud who owns SeaWorld, sponsored our coming out party at Sundance. Also a few other film festivals. I love the idea they are so big they don’t even know that they supported The Cove to get us this far….

Hi. In response to: ‘why are people not going in droves?” I can only answer why I have not seen it (yet), perhaps other people feel the same way. I am afraid of seeing the dolphins killed and hearing them screaming. It would make me ill. It’s not that I don’t like docs–most of the movies I see are non-blockbusters. But I know you can’t make a call-to-action movie without showing how horrendous the situation is. I also think that many people aren’t seeing it for fear of knowing they’ll want to do something to stop the situation, and not knowing what they can do to make a significant impact.

If people wanted to donate to help stop the dolphin slaughter you show in The Cove, what groups would you suggest? Are their links on your website http://www.TheCoveMovie.com ?

John Lilly and Ric O’Barry were friends, John worked down the block from Ric in Coconut Grove in the 60’s and 70’s, Ric was hugely connected to the music community back then.

Yet people watch “Cops” and Ultimate fighting and play really violent video games…

Louie, thnak you so much for making thsi. Pups–SEE IT, tell your friend to see it, blog about. We can make a difference. i am wracking mybrain now tothink who i know in Japan I can send to the website as a start…

Hi Louie
Your film made a big impression on us when we saw it at the Melbourne International Film Festival. We have been doing what we can to raise awareness for the campaign and many of us wrote to Broome demanding they break ties with Taiji.

However, I was wondering if you could account for the discrepancies in the reportage of how many dolphins are killed. I mean 1 is to many, but the film’s producer Fisher Stevens says it 2,000 and the film states it is over 20 thousand. It would seem that the lower number is being circulated and I think this somewhat diminishes the cause and urgency to save the dolphins.

Can you explain how this has happened and why even the producer of the film has the wrong numbers.

Well, we’re broke. Really broke. If you want to help out split two check between Ric’s organization SaveJapanDolphins.org and ours OPS. I’m not sure about Ric’s but ours is a 501c-3 so you can write off the donation. Links are also on the website. http://www.opsociety.org an rics is http://www.savejapandolphins.org both worth causes

Generally a different set of folks than those who care about dolphins.

I suppose, to put it in a nutshell, we like dolphins, but we hate ourselves (each other).

The underwater footage is awesome, it has cute surfers and film guys, undercover cops– a real life thriller wiht a purpose-and what is life without purpose (or porpoises–sorry had to make that pun)

Our film says 23,000 dolphins and porpoises are killed around Japan every year. The official catch quota the Japanese fisheries agency claims is 21,000. Killed in Taiji are about 2300. But the dolphin hunters in Japan are allowed tally their own numbers. We know about fisherman lying. We have footage of them killing mother’s and calves and killing more pilot whales in one season than allowed so the numbers are anyone’s guess. My belief is that one dolphin killed and consumed is one too many.

Dolphins are still the only wild animal to come to our rescue, in spite of what they think of us – we should do the same for them….

It may be the movie people they realize they missed in the theaters after it’s too late to see it there – it is a big screen film, I worked at National Geographic over the course of 18 years, it demands to be seen big

Louie, thank you all so MUCH for making THE COVE. Everyone, please see it, tell your friends, sing the petition!

And thank you for being here tonight with us, and thanks to all of you for making this chat so full of information and passion.

Thank you all, please tell your peeps, Louie

I hope that those of you blog or email let your friends know…louie, can pressure be brught on Japanese tourist industry to tstop this?

Agreed. I was referring to people who care about animals and would actually themselves feel hurt to see the dolphins being [savagely] killed.

The Cove brings up two great points: the slaughter of dolphins and the intentional poisoning of the Japanese people by selling mercury laden meat.