This spring a powerful movie was released called The Cove. It started out to be something other than it ended up. The result blew everyone’s minds, especially those involved in it. While filming in Japan, the film makers discovered that under the cloak of darkness, dolphins were being slaughtered. They could not let this story go untold.
The film turned into not only a documentary of the slaughter but also of the adventure and covert ops that needed to be undertaken in order to tell the story. They put themselves in grave danger and took unbelievable measures to get this story including hidden cameras, night dives and the best surveillance equipment available.
Unsurprisingly, the film makers were not looked upon fondly by the Japanese government and a warrant was issued for their arrest.
The entire adventure is a story of sticking to your guns, following your dreams and going against all odds. The result is not only a beautiful, moving movie which has won a multitude of awards including such honors as Best Audience Award (Documentary) at Sundance and Sydney‘s festivals and Best Feature Film in Nantucket among many other accolades.
A new development recently occurred that was the icing on the cake! They were invited to the Japanese film festival! It was a last minute addition to the festival which surprised everyone, not the least being director Louie Psihoyos. His reaction is posted on Boing Boing. And on The Cove website blog.
You can read more about the film and the festival at The Huffington Post.
This story makes me smile. The slaughter is horrific and the story needed to be told, the atrocities revealed. For someone to stick up for the defenseless, that makes me smile. For someone to stick to their guns against all odds including, I’m sure, many naysayers telling them to quit, that makes me smile. This is an inspirational story on so many levels.
The film is out on DVD in December. If you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to make a point of rectifying that next month and be inspired.
You rock, go out there and share your vision!