Behind The Cove Explained
Behind "The Cove": The Quiet Japanese Speak Out |
Native Name: | Kanji: | ビハインド・ザ・コーヴ 〜捕鯨問題の謎に迫る〜 | Revhep: | bihaindo za kōvu 〜hogeimondai no nazo ni semaru〜 |
|
Director: | Keiko Yagi |
Producer: | Keiko Yagi |
Narrator: | Russell Goodall |
Music: | Nariaki Kato |
Editing: | Keiko Yagi |
Distributor: | Yagi Film Limited |
Runtime: | 110 minutes |
Country: | Japan |
Language: | Japanese |
is a 2015 Japanese documentary film directed and produced by Keiko Yagi.[1]
It is the first film in response to the Academy Award winning 2009 anti-whaling documentary film The Cove, and seeks to show the views of both sides of the international whaling debate, particularly focusing on the town of Taiji, Japan.[2]
Synopsis
On March 31, 2014, the International Court of Justice ordered Japan to stop its Antarctic whaling program.[3]
Fearing that ancestral culinary traditions will disappear, director Keiko Yagi decided to investigate and understand what motivates regular attacks against Japan on whaling. With a camera, Keiko Yagi traveled to Taiji, home of Oscar-winning 2009 documentary film "The Cove". For four months, Keiko Yagi interviewed the various protagonists of the film "The Cove", from its director to the people of Taiji through the official organizations and the militant associations.
Cast
Name | Role |
---|
| Director of The Cove |
| Founder of Dolphin Project |
| IWC Japanese Government Representative |
| IWC Japan's Chief Representative of Japan |
|
|
| Fisheries negotiator of the Fisheries Agency |
| Sea Shepherd 2014 leader |
| TV program Whale Wars former photographer |
| Professor of ecology at the University of Oslo |
| President of the Whaling Association of Japan |
| Fisheries journalist |
| Mayor of Taiji |
| Taiji chief of Education Committee |
| Taiji elementary school's principal |
Taiji people |
Dolphin Project members | |
Reception
Behind 'The Cove received a mostly negative response from Western critics. Robert Abele of the Los Angeles Times described it as "a regrettably amateurish effort in tone, style and pacing, as if [Yagi's] first cut were her final cut. It's too scattershot to be persuasive, even if occasionally it sparks thought about issues of cultural tradition, unfair international agreements, and nationalistic defensiveness."[4] Luke Y. Thompson of The Village Voice was also critical of the film, writing, "Japan's answer to the Oscar-winning, 2009 anti-dolphin-hunting documentary The Cove is driven more by agenda than much discernible skill in the areas of camera, editing, storytelling, or interview technique." He added, "Probably about a quarter of the film's runtime is screenshots of web browsers, which is apt, as this is essentially a Condescending Wonka meme taken to feature length."[5]
Accolades
- Montreal World Film Festival, Official Screening (2015)[6]
- London International Filmmaker Festival, Best Director of a Feature Documentary (February 2018)[7]
- Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards, First Time Filmmaker (October 2016)[8]
- 13th Japan Wildlife Film Festival, New Perspective Award (April 2018)[9]
- Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, Award of Recognition (October 2016)[10]
- Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards, Award of Excellence (October 2016)[11]
- Pune Independent Film Festival, Best Woman Filmmaker (Fall 2016)[12]
- International Filmmaker Festival of New York, Honorable Mention (May 2018)[13]
- London Greek Film Festival, Semi-finalist (2018)[14]
- Miami Independent Film Festival, Feature Documentary (2017)[15]
- Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, Golden Fox Award Nominee for Best Educational Film (2017)[16]
- Calcutta International Cult Film Festival, Films of the Month Educational Film Winner (January 2017)[17]
- Portsmouth International Film Festival, Sound in a Documentary (2017)[18]
- Paris Art and Movie Awards, Meilleur Documentaire (2018)[19]
References
[20] [21]
Notes and References
- Web site: Japanese director's pro-whaling documentary wins award at London film festival . Japan Times. JIJI Kyodo . 19 February 2018 . 11 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180419192717/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/02/19/entertainment-news/japanese-directors-pro-whaling-documentary-wins-award-london-film-festival/ . 2018-04-19 . live .
- News: YAGI Film Inc. Announces Screenings of Documentary BEHIND THE COVE. BWW News Desk. 13 August 2018.
- News: Japan told to halt Antarctic whaling by international court. McCurry. Justin. 2014-03-31. The Guardian. 2019-03-04. en-GB. 0261-3077.
- Web site: Abele . Robert . Review: The activist documentary "Behind 'The Cove'" falls short of the mark . . December 1, 2016 . July 8, 2020.
- Web site: Thompson . Luke Y. . Surprise: The Documentary That Defends Japanese Whaling Is an Amateurish Mess . . November 23, 2016 . July 8, 2020.
- News: Director Keiko Yagi on the importance of 'Behind THE COVE' documentary and the New York screening at IFFNY. 14 May 2018. NY Elite Magazine. 13 August 2018.
- News: Japan film festival to screen whaling documentary. City-Cost. 13 August 2018.
- Web site: October 2016 Winner. A home for your amazing films. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180210115739/http://laiffawards.com/october-2016-winner.html. 2018-02-10. live.
- Web site: Wildlife-film.com Feature Page – JWFF 2017 Winners Announced. wildlife-film.com. 13 August 2018.
- Web site: Oct 2016 Winner. A home for your amazing films.. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180330235316/http://himpff.com/oct-2016-winner.html. 2018-03-30. live.
- Web site: October 2016 Winners. Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180404235125/http://hiida.com/october-2016-winners.html. 4 April 2018. dead.
- Web site: www.punefilmfestival.com. punefilmfestival.com. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170915010527/http://punefilmfestival.com/. 2017-09-15. live.
- News: IFFNY 2018 AWARDS IFFNY. 8 June 2018. IFFNY. 13 August 2018.
- Web site: London Greek Film Festival 2018 – Selected films in competition. londongreekfilmfestival.com. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180824214807/http://londongreekfilmfestival.com/films2018.htm. 2018-08-24. live.
- Web site: ALL OFFICIAL FINALISTS – ANNUAL MINDIE 2017 – MIAMI INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL. miamindiefest.com. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20170519003002/http://miamindiefest.com/all-official-finalists-annual-mindie-2017/. 2017-05-19. live.
- News: 2017 Golden Fox Award Nominees – CICFF. 27 November 2017. CICFF. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180326130235/http://www.hlc-cicff.com/2017-golden-fox-award-nominees/. 2018-03-26. live.
- News: monthly selection – january 2017 – CICFF. 5 February 2017. CICFF. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180917105143/http://www.hlc-cicff.com/monthly-selection-january-2017/. 2018-09-17. live.
- Web site: WINNERS 2017 – Portsmouth International Film Festival. portsmouthfilmfest.co.uk. 13 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318180732/http://www.portsmouthfilmfest.co.uk/winners-2017/4594098793. 18 March 2018. dead.
- Web site: PAMA 2018 : La soirée de remise des prix avec Sharon Stone. Unification France. fr-FR. 13 August 2018.
- Web site: Behind The Cove . jffla.org . Japan Film Festival, Los Angeles . 11 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180919222251/https://www.jffla.org/behind-the-cove . 2018-09-19 . live .
- Web site: "Behind the Cove" rebuts Academy Award Winning Documentary – Editor's Note . The North American Post . 11 May 2017 .