Bowing to international pressure, the Tokyo International Film Festival announced Wednesday it will screen the controversial award-winning American documentary about the annual dolphin hunt in Taiji, Wakayama Prefecture, at the nine-day event in October.
The decision to screen "The Cove," which has already soured relations between Taiji and the town of Broome, its sister city in Australia, attracted attention following media reports that it had been rejected for what the film's director called a "hypocritical reason."
When organizers on Wednesday announced the lineup for the 22nd annual film festival, TIFF Chairman Tom Yoda singled out "The Cove," explaining the decision to include the documentary was made after the festival had reached an agreement with the movie's producers to take full responsibility should any problems arise from the screening.