《血色海湾》的导演及制片人在第82届奥斯卡颁奖典礼上
反映日本太地町诱杀海豚的纪录影片《血色海湾》(The Cove)夺得了第82届奥斯卡最佳纪录长片奖,这座奖项令该片有机会直面一个极其重要的观众群体:日本本土观众。这也是制片方此前未能实现的愿望。
An Oscar win by 'The Cove,' a documentary chronicling bloody dolphin hunting in a Japanese fishing town, could give the film the critical audience that its makers had wanted to reach: ordinary moviegoers in Japan.
有关这部影片获奖的消息让日本人颇感惊讶,因为许多日本人之前根本没有听说过它。这部由前《国家地理》(National Geographic)摄影师路易•西霍尤斯(Louie Psihoyos)执导的美国影片并未登陆日本的商业院线,只是在去年10月份的东京国际电影节上有过一次点映。
News that the movie won the Oscar for best feature documentary was greeted by surprise in Japan because many Japanese hadn't heard of it. The U.S. film, directed by former National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, hasn't been shown in commercial theaters in Japan except for a single viewing during the Tokyo International Film Festival last October.
因为故事发生地、以“日本商业捕鲸发源地”自居的太地町出言抗议,日本影院都对《血色海湾》采取了回避态度。这座渔村位于日本西部,人口为 3800人,当地官员要求日本电影发行商撤下这部片子,因为其拍摄未成得到村民的许可,且构成诽谤。
Japanese theaters have stayed away from it because of protest from the town of Taiji, a fishing town of 3,800 people in western Japan that bills itself as the 'birth place of Japan's commercial whaling.' The town's officials requested the film's Japanese distributor to drop it, saying it was shot without permission of its people and constituted a libel.
日本电影发行公司Unplugged Inc.首席执行长Takeshi Kato周一说,无论太地町是否同意,公司都计划在5、6月份发行《血色海湾》。东京市中心的一家独立影院已经同意播放该片。Unplugged预计,随 着它获得奥斯卡奖,将有更多影院同意播放。西霍尤斯在接受采访时说他希望奥斯卡奖能帮助影片赢得来自日本的观众。
Takeshi Kato, chief executive of Unplugged Inc., the Japanese distributor, said Monday the company plans to go ahead with distribution of the film in May or June with or without agreement with the local town. One independent-movie house in central Tokyo has already agreed to show it, and Unplugged expects more will come on board now that the film has won an Oscar. Mr. Psihoyos has said in interviews he hoped an Oscar would help win the film a Japanese audience.
不过在日本上映之前,该片将进行一定的修改。因为太地町抗议影片对渔民和市民的拍摄都是在未获许可的情况下进行的,因此制片方将对他们 的面孔做模糊化处理。而且还针对片中有关海豚肉汞含量超标的专家说法进行了注释,表明该问题尚存争议。影片称太地町曾经将在一年一度的海豚猎杀季节中捕获 的、受水银污染的海豚肉制成学校午餐。
The film, however, will go through some changes before reaching the Japanese audience. To address Taiji's complaint that the film was shot without permission from fishermen and other townsfolk, their faces will be glazed over. It will also include a note pointing out the controversial nature of an expert comment in the film regarding high mercury content of dolphin meat. The film claimed Taiji at one point served mercury-contaminated meat of the dolphins killed during its annual dolphin hunt as part of school lunches.
太地町市长三轩一高(Kazutaka Sangen)就《血色海湾》获奖一事发表声明称猎捕鲸鱼和海豚在日本是合法且适当的,得到了当地政府的许可。他说,很遗憾《血色海湾》无视科学证据、提 供了有误信息。三轩一高说,不同的国家和地区都有不同的饮食风俗,理解、尊重彼此饮食文化中多年积累的传统及现实状况是非常重要的。
Kazutaka Sangen, mayor of Taiji, issued a statement in response to the academy, saying the hunting of whales and dolphins was conducted 'legally and appropriately' with permission from the local government. It is 'regrettable,' he added, that the film contained 'false information' that ignores scientific evidence. 'Different countries and regions have different eating habits,' Mr. Sangen said in the statement. 'It is important to understand long-lasting traditions and realities in each other's food culture and have the spirit of mutual respect.'
记者未能联络到三轩一高或其他本地官员就太地町不同意《血色海湾》发行一事发表评论。太地町渔民的代理律师Shozaburo Ishida没有回复记者的电话。
Mr. Sangen or other Taiji officials weren't available to discuss the town's disagreement with the distributor. Shozaburo Ishida, an attorney representing the town's fishermen, didn't return a call.
日本外务省发言人未就《血色海湾》获奖一事发表评论。
A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman had no comment about the Cove winning an Oscar.