Laemmle Music Hall
9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Aug. 24 – 30, 2018
12:10 pm, 5:10 pm, 7:40 pm
https://www.laemmle.com/films/44138
A Whale of a Tale
Production/distributor: Fine Line Media
Director/producer: Megumi Sasaki
Executive producer: Taro Maki
Directors of photography: Takashi Orikasa, Taiki Sugioka
Editor: Bernadine Colish
Composer: David Majzlin
97 minutes
In 2010, Taiji, a sleepy fishing town in Japan, suddenly found itself in the worldwide media spotlight. The Cove, a documentary denouncing the town’s long-standing whale and dolphin hunting traditions, won an Academy Award and almost overnight, Taiji became the go-to destination and battleground for activists from around the world.
Can a proud 400-year-old whaling tradition survive a tsunami of modern animal-rights activism and colliding forces of globalism vs. localism?
A Whale of a Tale reveals the complex story behind the ongoing debate. Told through a wide range of characters including local fishermen, international activists and an American journalist (and long time Japanese resident), this powerful documentary unearths a deep divide in eastern and western thought about nature and wildlife and cultural sensitivity in the face of global activism.