Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

In a sleepy lagoon off the coast of Japan lies a shocking secret that a few desperate men will stop at nothing to keep hidden from the world. The Cove is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery that adds up to an urgent plea for hope.

“We need to get in there and film what happens . . . we need to know the truth.”
-- Ric O’Barry, THE COVE

THE COVE begins in Taiji, Japan, where former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry has come to set things right after a long search for redemption. In the 1960s,  O’Barry captured and trained the 5 dolphins who played the title character in the international television sensation “Flipper.” But his close relationship with those dolphins – the very dolphins who sparked a global fascination with trained sea mammals that continues to this day -- led O’Barry to a radical
change of heart.

This change of heart took him to Taiji, a town that appears to be devoted to the wonders and mysteries of the sleek, playful dolphins and whales that swim off their coast. But in a remote, glistening cove, surrounded by barbed wire and “Keep Out” signs, lies a dark reality. It is here, under cover of night, that the fishermen of Taiji, driven by a multi-billion dollar dolphin entertainment industry and an underhanded market for mercury-tainted dolphin meat, engage in
an unseen hunt. The nature of what they do is so chilling -- and the consequences are so dangerous to human health -- they will go to great lengths to halt anyone from seeing it.

The Cove trailer

 Undeterred, O’Barry joins forces with filmmaker Louis Psihoyos and the Ocean Preservation Society to get to the truth of what’s really going on in the cove and why it matters to everyone in the world. With the local Chief of Police hot on their trail and strong-arm fishermen keeping tabs on them, they recruit an “Oceans Eleven”- style team of underwater sound and camera experts, special effects artists, marine explorers, adrenaline junkies and world-class free
divers who will carry out an undercover operation to photograph the off-limits cove, while playing a cloak-and-dagger game with those who would have them jailed.

THE COVE is directed by Louie Psihoyos and produced by Paula DuPre Pesmen and
Fisher Stevens.

For more information and to find a screening near you see www.thecovemovie.com.

Source & Photo Credit: The Cove

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