The Cove Opens in Theaters

The Cove opened in United States theaters on July 31, 2009, after winning the U.S. Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival that January. Directed by Louie Psihoyos and centered on former dolphin trainer turned activist Ric O'Barry, the film follows a team that used hidden cameras disguised as rocks to document the annual dolphin drive hunt in Taiji, Japan, where dolphins are herded into a cove and either sold to marine parks or killed. The film's exposure of a hunt local fishermen worked hard to keep hidden turned a quiet fishing town into an international flashpoint over dolphin captivity and slaughter. Seven months after its theatrical release, it won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards.