The Cove - OPS Productions (original) (raw)
The true story of activists who embarked on a covert mission to penetrate a hidden cove in Japan, exposing a deadly secret.
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The Cove
Academy Award® Winner for “Best Documentary of 2009”
A team of activists, filmmakers, and freedivers embark on a covert mission to expose a deadly secret hidden in a remote cove in Taiji, Japan. By utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, they uncover a horrible annual tradition of unparalleled cruelty. A provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure, and arresting imagery makes this an unforgettable and courageous story that inspires outrage and action.
Support ending dolphin drives and other crimes against wildlife.
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Learn more and take action to end the dolphin drive hunts
The Cove has done a great deal to expose these hunts. More important is what happens now. We are determined to end this devastating practice by supporting collaborators in Japan and around the globe. You can help.
The dolphin drive hunts are deadly.
Dolphins are chased to shore, corralled in a cove, and then selected for marine parks and aquaria, or killed for their meat.
In September of each year, the dolphin drive hunting season begins in Taiji, Japan. Over 2,000 small whales and dolphins may be captured or killed annually. A variety of dolphin species are taken in a brutal process that can last for days.
Over 3,500 copies of The Cove were delivered to households in Taiji, Japan.
Following the filming of The Cove, dolphin meat was taken off the school lunch menu in Taiji.
Whale and dolphin meat is highly contaminated.
Dolphin meat from the drive hunts, often mislabeled and sold as whale meat, contains mercury and PCBs, posing special risk to pregnant women and children.
Many citizens in Japan are unaware of the dolphin hunts, and the health risks associated with consuming whale and dolphin meat. The Japanese government continues to subsidize these hunts which are tied to Japan’s deadly whaling policies, perpetuating this inhumane and out-dated practice.
The drive hunts support the global captivity industry.
Although the majority of dolphins targeted in the hunts are killed and sold for meat, a growing number are taken from the hunts alive for marine parks.
Hundreds of dolphins procured from the Taiji hunts are shipped to aquaria around the globe, primarily within Asia and the Middle East. China is the number one purchaser of wild-caught dolphins from Japan, but every captive facility ultimately fuels the continuation of this deadly supply and demand chain.
A live dolphin procured from the drive hunts may have a price tag of $150,000 or more.
Meet the Cast and Crew
Paula DuPré Pesmen
Producer
Olivia Ahnemann
Co-Producer
Richard O'Barry
Founder, Dolphin Project
Simon Hutchins
Director of Expeditions
Mandy-Rae Cruickshank
FreeDiver
David Rastovich
Freesurfer
Scott Baker
DNA Scientist
Brooke Aitken
Cinematographer
Charles Hambleton
Clandestine Operations
Joseph Chisholm
Unit Production Manager
Greg “Moondog” Mooney
Marine Technician
Documentary Credits
Director
Louie Psihoyos
Producers
Fisher Stevens
Paula DuPré Pesmen
Co-Producer
Olivia Ahnemann
Writer
Mark Monroe
Editor
Geoffrey Richman
Composer
J. Ralph
Cinematographer
Brooke Aitken
Associate Editor
Michael Scalisi
Assistant Editors
Miles Hubley
Tom White
Marine Mammal Specialist, Dolphin Project
Richard O’Barry
Director of Expeditions
Simon Hutchins
FreeDivers
Mandy-Rae Cruickshank
Kirk Krack
Freesurfer
David Rastovich
DNA Scientist
Scott Baker
Clandestine Operations
Charles Hambleton
Unit Production Manager
Joseph Chisholm
Marine Technician
Greg “Moondog” Mooney
Social Action
Participant Media
Documentary Awards
2010 Academy Award® Movie Award
Best Documentary Feature
2010 Producers Guild of America Award
Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
2010 Directors Guild of America Award
Outstanding Directing – Documentaries
2010 Writers Guild of America
Best Documentary Screenplay
2009 Sundance Film Festival
Audience Award – U.S. Documentary
2010 Critics’ Choice Movie Award
Best Documentary Feature
2010 American Cinema Editors
Best Documentary Editing
Blue Ocean Film Festival
Best Theatrical
Blue Ocean Film Festival
Best in Festival
Sydney Film Festival
Audience Award
Silver Docs Film Festival
Audience Award
Seattle International Film Festival
Golden Space Needle
2009 Rome Film Festival
The Ikea Award
Newport Beach Film Festival
Winner
2009 Nantucket Film Festival
Best Storytelling
2009 Maui Film Festival
Audience Award
Hotdocs Film Festival
The Audience Award
Heartland Film Festival
Truly Moving Picture
2009 Ghent Film Festival
Audience Award
2009 Galway Film Festival
Best Doc Feature
Screenings
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