In 2010, a small Japanese fishing town named Taiji suddenly found itself embroiled in a heated debate on the international stage. The Cove, a documentary denouncing the town's longstanding tradition of hunting whales and dolphins, won an Academy Award and overnight, Taiji became a battleground for activists from around the world. Taiji is now yet another site of clash between local hunting traditions and changing global attitudes regarding animal rights.

A Whale of a Tale reveals the complexities of the ongoing debate on whaling and dolphin hunting in Japan. Told through a wide range of characters—including local fishermen, international activists, long-time Japanese residents, and an American journalist—this powerful documentary brings to light tensions between Eastern and Western thought on nature, wildlife, and cultural sensitivity.

Documentarian Megumi Sasaki's third feature-length film premiered at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea and won awards at many other festivals. In August 2017, Sasaki published her first book of the same name in Japanese, titled Okujirasama. A winner of the 2018 Japanese Association of Science & Technology Journalists Awards, the book goes behind the scenes of the film’s production and delves into the historical and religious background of the whaling controversy. 

Q&A with Director Sasaki following the screening on Thursday, August 23 at the Delancey Street Screening Room!

To RSVP, please contact 415-780-5584 or email [email protected]. Tickets can be collected at the box office on the night of the screening.

For more information about the film, visit http://awhaleofatalefilm.com.