Stella Kramer interviews (here) photographer Louie Psihoyos (spent 17 years traveling the world shooting for National Geographic) about his career and his new movie The Cove.
Any advice for new photographers?
The only advice I would have for a young still photographer would be to forget all advice and follow your passion with a passion. The Universe has a strange way of supporting lunatics like us that refuse to live inside the box.There is no box.
The film looks amazing:
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They looks like some heavy stuff to watch. Can’t wait to see it.
My wife and I saw “The Cove” Saturday. I found it was pretty clear about it’s message, “Japan should stop killing dolphins”. But far from clear about why they do or convincing the us why they shouldn’t, or telling us what we should do to help stop it.
Most of the movie was a mixture of, showing us dolphins in the wild and captivity and a thriller about getting into the cove to document what was happening there.
The movie is amazing- as is the cause. You can find out what to do at the film site- and it’s also “interesting” (ie- even more appalling, if possible) to note that there is yet another very similar, annual slaughter of slightly larger pilot whales in the Faroe Islands…
http://www.thecovemovie.com/
http://earthfirst.com/pilot-whales-brutally-slaughtered-annually-in-the-faroe-islands/
Also–
There is one particularly moving scene in the film when you cheer a sole, desperate dolphin that somehow manages to break free, make it past the nets and escape the slaughter. It is only when it briefly jumps out of the water that you notice the gaping mortal wound that is bleeding profusely on its side. Ultimately it succumbs as the “fishermen” in the background smile and laugh away.
Ric O’Barry, the former dolphin (ie- Flipper) trainer, provides the key real life, tragic hero figure that lends insight, depth- and some much needed hope.
Forgive me for being trite, but there is a typo in the trailer titles: Affect, not Effect
I was lucky to the film at a festival screening where the Director, Louie Psihoyos was present for a Q&A. The filmmakers went to extraordinary lengths to covertly document the real story behind the Japanese supply of dolphins for aquariums and dolphin shows, and have ended up with a truly impressive film.
In contrast to Alan, I found the film to be a clear call to action and was left in no doubt that the annual slaughter of 23,000 of one of the most intelligent (and certainly self-aware) creatures we share the planet with is entirely abhorrent.
To find out more about the issue, and what actions you can take, check out these websites:
http://www.takepart.com/thecove/
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/
I can’t wait to see it when it comes out in Santa Barbara this weekend.
@Alastair, thanks for the links.
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