Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Tokyo, Mar 9, (THAINDIAN NEWS) With the documentary “The Cove” taking home the prestigious Academy Award for best feature documentary this year, it was a landmark that the makers of the controversial film indeed needed. Not only will the achievement enable the movie to reach a larger audience but it is likely to provide the makers with the opportunity to release the movie in Japan, as it focuses on the ghastly act of dolphin hunting in a Japanese town.

The documentary, which has been directed by renowned former National Geographic still photographer Louie Psihoyos, is yet to witness a full fledged release in Japan in the wake of the widespread protests from the Japanese fishing town of Taiji, where the documentary is based. Till now, the Oscar winning documentary has reportedly been screened only once during the Tokyo International Film Festival which was held in the month of October last year. However, certain reports are claiming that the distributors of the movie have agreed to release the documentary in Japan in the later part of the year. A Japanese distributing company has revealed on Monday that distribution of the documentary is likely to commence later in the month of May or June, even if a consensus with the Japanese town is not reached.

Meanwhile, director Louie Psihoyos has expressed hope that an Oscar victory would give them the opportunity to showcase the movie for the Japanese audiences, which has not been possible till now. As of now, what remains to be seen is that whether with the Oscar honor, the documentary indeed is successful in hitting commercial theaters in Japan.