The Cove acquired by Medallion Media in Japan

[Christine Marran]

http://www.indiewire.com/article/the_cove_finally_heads_to_japan/

The article is also pasted here:

The Works International has announce the acquisition of Louie Psihoyos?s 
Academy Award-nominated documentary ?The Cove? by Japanese distributor 
Medallion Media.  Medallion is planning a tentative release date of 
April 2010 in Japan.

Until now, Japanese distributors have shied away from the documentary, 
which uncovers dolphin slaughtering in a Japanese village, and was the 
source of significant controversy in the country when it was included in 
the line-up of the 2009 Tokyo Film Festival after initially being 
rejected. Despite threats of legal action by fishermen from the town of 
Taiji featured in the film, the festival scheduled another screening 
after the first sold out within hours.

?Most Japanese are unaware of the annual dolphin cull that takes place 
in Taiji and also the significant risks of mercury poisoning from the 
eating of dolphin meat which the film so effectively exposes,? The Works 
International said in their press release. ?In spite of continued 
opposition from the Taiji fishermen, Medallion Media recognized there 
were many people keen to see the film.?

?In distributing ?The Cove? we are not taking sides,?  Norio Okahara, 
Director of Medallion Media said in a statement. ?Rather, we are 
presenting the film for the Japanese to decide for themselves about the 
issues it raises. There is a debate to be had here and this important 
film - and the Academy Award nomination only serves to reinforce its 
importance - offers the opportunity for such a debate.?

Joy Wong negotiated the deal with Media Co.?s Norio Okahara.

?Making ?The Cove? was personal for me because I was poisoned by mercury 
from eating too much of the wrong kind of fish,? Louie Psihoyos said in 
a statement.  ?I hope that ?The Cove? will prevent people in Japan from 
getting mercury poisoning caused by eating toxic dolphin meat. When we 
first went to Taiji, dolphin meat was being distributed in the school 
systems for children?s lunches, which is troubling because mercury has 
the most deleterious effects on small children. Most disturbing is that 
much of the dolphin meat, as determined by DNA analysis, was being sold 
as whale meat. A recent study done by Japanese scientists shows that the 
residents of Taiji have 10 times the acceptable amount of mercury in 
their systems. That makes it more then just an animal rights issue - 
this is a human health concern. I believe in my heart that when the 
Japanese people see this film, they will be inspired to help solve this 
issue.?

-- 
Christine L. Marran
Associate Professor of Japanese Literature and Cultural Studies
Department of Asian Languages and Literatures
University of Minnesota