'The Cove' to Be Screened in Japan from June

TOKYO —The Cove,the Oscar-winning U.S. documentary on a controversial dolphin hunt in a Japanese town, will be screened by at least 26 movie theaters across Japan from next month, the distributor of the film said Tuesday.

Unplugged Inc said the screening will start in Japan at Theater N Shibuya and Cinemart Roppongi, both in Tokyo, on June 26. The distributor added that theaters in at least 15 other prefectures, including Hokkaido, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka and Okinawa, will follow but gave no details about when they will start showing the film.

The company said it is still negotiating with other theaters for possible screening.

The film, mostly shot in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, partly with hidden cameras, won the 2010 Academy Award for best documentary but stirred criticism in Japan with some arguing that it has factual errors.

The distributor faced the possibility of canceling the planned screening of the film in Japan due to strong opposition from the town of Taiji, its fishery association and other groups.

‘‘While there are some voices against the decision to screen the film, the majority of opinions are supportive and many of them say ‘let audiences judge for themselves,’‘’ an Unplugged official said.

from Japan Today