Tokyo Film Festival jury chief Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu played a crucial negotiating role in the decision of the festival chiefs to screen The Cove, as reported this morning by Variety‘s Mark Schilling. This despite Cove director Louie Psihoyos having stated that the festival wouldn’t be showing The Cove for political reasons.

“I truly believe that festivals exist as spaces of resistance against the easy distractions our culture offers us on a day-to-day basis,” Imnaritu wrote yesterday as the situation was being resolved. “I hope this film is exposed and as many others, and that it will generate some emotions and reflections that trigger discussions and conscience in order to put an end to the horrifying dolphin slaughter, which is now going on.”