Earth Island Institute

Dear Friends of Dolphins:

Beginning this week in theaters around the United States—and this fall in theaters around the world—a powerful and highly praised documentary on the work of our Save Japan Dolphins Coalition, featuring Coalition marine specialist and activist Ric O’Barry, will open. Information about screenings can be found at: thecovemovie.com/festivals/upcoming_screenings.htm

“The Cove” is an intense and inspiring experience. It received standing ovations in various film festival circuit theaters. It received the Audience Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, and has so far garnered further Audience Awards at the Hot Docs Film Festival in Toronto, the Newport Film Festival, the Nantucket Fest, the Sydney International Film Festival, Galway, Ireland Film Festival, Maui Film Festival and the Seattle International Film Festival, plus Best of Festival at the Blue Ocean Film Festival. We expect worldwide publicity for the film as it opens.

The Save Japan Dolphins Coalition needs your help to end the slaughter of dolphins and whales in Japan. Our particular focus is on the drive fishery for dolphins in Taiji, the largest remaining annual slaughter of dolphins on the planet.

Director Louie Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society made the film. Also working with the Save Japan Dolphins Coalition is Participant Media of Los Angeles, to promote the film and especially to promote the campaign.

Please join us in getting the word out about “The Cove” and intensifying the campaign to end the Japan dolphin and whale slaughter. “The Cove” will premiere in New York City and Los Angeles this weekend, July 31, and in dozens of cities across the U.S. beginning the following weekend. In the Bay Area, premieres are scheduled for August 7, for the Shattuck Theater in Berkeley, Embarcadero Cinema Center in San Francisco, and for the San Rafael Film Center in Marin. Volunteers are needed opening weekend at all theaters to pass out postcards and gather email addresses, and at as many subsequent screenings as possible. Can you volunteer? Can you help us recruit individuals who will commit to a minimum of a 4-hour shift on behalf of Japan’s dolphins? While there are many volunteers already in place, we are still looking for one “Cove Captain” to serve as principal coordinator for Berkeley, and one for San Francisco. Any leads would be appreciated. If you can volunteer, please contact me at the email address, below.

Also, we’d appreciate if you would tell your friends to visit savejapandolphins.org for more info about the campaign, action to take, and to view the exciting new trailer for this multi-award-winning movie. Donations are key to our being able to expand efforts in Japan. There are three key online letters that we hope everyone will send. These are important aspects of our action plan and are very easy for people to do online. Let's get the number of letters sent way up!

We feel that we can stop this slaughter with your grassroots help. Thanks for activating and spreading the word. We are very grateful.

For the dolphins,

Mary Jo Rice
Associate Director
International Marine Mammal Project
Earth Island Institute
The David Brower Center
2150 Allston Way
Suite 460
Berkeley, California 94704-3175

510 859-9105 direct line
510 859-9093 fax
mjrice (at) earthisland.org