A native of Dubuque, director Louie Psihoyos won for the Best Documentary at the Academy Award for “The Cove,” a story exposing the killing of thousands of dolphins at a National Park in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan.

The Cove exposes the killing of thousands of dolphins at a National Park in Taiji, Wakayama, Japan.

Psihoyos also is the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Oceanic Preservation Society (OPS), which strives to show the events happening in the oceans. He made the film with renowned dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry and prolific entrepreneur Jim Clark. The film, which sparked some outrage amongst Japanese audiences, used specialized camouflaged high-definition hidden cameras to capture the footage after the Japanese government didn’t approve the request to film the site.

Former National Geographic Magazine photographer Psihoyos is a licensed scuba diver and has circled the globe a number of times. He uses iconic imagery and his imagination for the complex issue the film addresses. While the local government of Taiji believes eating dolphin is just a dietary culture, and that each community’s culture and traditions should be respected, the filmmaker views the film from an animal activist’s point of view, as a means of increasing awareness about the dolphin slaughter. 

“The Cove” has won numerous film honors, including Los Angeles Film Critics Asssociation Awards, New York Film Critics Online Award, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards, Directors Guild Awards and Audience Award at Sundance Film Festival, among others.

Meanwhile, Psihoyos’ brother Gus Psihoyos, the head of the city of Dubuque’s Engineering Department, celebrated his brother’s accomplishment at the Oscars through a get-together with friends. His win also is a positive nod for aspiring filmmakers from Dubuque.