Oscar Winning Documentary The Cove, which exploits the systematic hunt slaughter of dolphins in Japan for use as filler meat and brought me to tears last fall, is reportedly unable to find many theaters willing to screen it in Japan [The New York Times].
The Japanese Far Right, who maintain that the dolphin hunt is part of their national tradition and who clearly missed the point of the movie, has been disturbingly up in arms over the film:
In a country that shudders at disharmony and remains wary of the far right’s violent history, the activists’ noisy rallies, online slanders, intimidating phone calls and veiled threats of violence are frightening theaters into canceling showings of The Cove.
The article goes on to describe the Tea Party-esque rhetoric used by protesters, calling theaters unpatriotic for showing the film. Since the protests began, three theaters have canceled screenings, while another 2 dozen are wavering under threats of violence and protest.
Yoshiyuki Hasegawa, the manager at Yokohama New Theater, said he was postponing screenings of the film. “Of course it upsets me,” he said, “but I must consider the trouble it would bring to my neighbors.”
This represents a small but vocal population (only about 10,000 dissenters) who clearly missed the point of the movie and likely never even saw it. The movie describes that bureaucratic misstep that allowed the dolphin slaughter in the first place and the police-state like conditions under which these “traditional” dolphin hunts occur. Moreover, the public health concerns (i.e. the very real danger of mercury poisoning created by the use of dolphin as filler meat) almost mandate the film be shown. This suggests that the dissenters aren’t interested in their people at all.
There is some hope. As any publicity is good publicity, it appears the protests are encouraging patrons to see the movie where it is still showing:
More than 700 people lined up to attend a one-time screening last week in central Tokyo organized by free-speech advocates. About 100 people were turned away for lack of space. “I’m glad I saw it,” said Tamaki Iijima, a 53-year-old homemaker from Saitama, west of Tokyo. “We live in a society that hides away the dirty things. To know is a big first step.”
A hallmark of democracy is certainly free speech, which offers a unique freedom for filmmakers. And while often free speech in film is a tool used to make money, sometimes it is used to make breathtaking art, and even less often it is used to alert the public. If The Cove is barred from the very people who need to see it the most, it is no better than Sarah Palin encouraging book banning, and is also a tragedy and bankruptcy of democracy, and the dissenters ought to be ashamed.
Have you seen The Cove? Should a film ever be banned?