The Cove

JDM Insider

2003

Living Waters

2015

LIVING WATERS: Intelligent Design in the Oceans of the Earth is a fascinating exploration of life in the liquid universe that covers more than 70% of our planet. Filmed in Canada, Bermuda, Polynesia, Mexico, and the United States, this remarkable documentary celebrates the beauty and brilliance of the biological systems that make life in the oceans possible. A spectacular tour of a dolphin’s internal sonar system—a mechanism so powerful and precise, the animals can locate and capture small fish buried in the sand. The magnetic compass embedded in the head of a sea turtle—a biological wonder that guides these long-distance travelers as they journey across thousands of miles of open sea. A Pacific salmon’s amazing sense of smell—an elaborate navigational aid that leads the fish back from years in the ocean to the gravel stream bed where it was born. The power and majestic grace of a humpback whale—a creature whose existence defies the theory of Darwinian evolution.

The Cat: A Cuddly Killer

2019

Cats are cuddly felines and lovely pets, but also highly evolved predators that hunt huge amounts of small mammals, birds and reptiles; perfect killing machines that threaten delicate ecosystems around the world.

A Free Man

2017

22-year-old Kei refuses to conform to the Japanese achievement-oriented society. He is homeless by choice, living on the streets and under the bridges of Kyoto. His love for nature and music keeps him afloat in his dream world. However, when he runs out of money, he is forced to face reality.

311 Revival

2017

Fukushima used to be a wonderful place. Unfortunately, since March 11, 2011, "Fukushima" has been superseded by another name: Nuclear Disaster Zone. Six years have passed, but over 80,000 Fukushima residents still cannot return home, still cannot return to their former lives. How did they get through it? Reconstruction work is slow. Several years on, surrounding the site of the Fukushima nuclear incident, there remain many refuge-seeking residents whose homes are still in lockdown. In the streets, people are taking it to their own hands to save their communities. Psychologically and practically, how does one rebuild? Does the civil society's self-rescue mission conclude in recovering what was lost, or in reviving an even better community? In their eyes, what is "revival"? What is the meaning of "rebirth"? Our crew went all over the coastal areas of Fukushima, recording stories of residents each finding their own ways to save themselves.

OKINAWA PHILADELPHIA

2024

An Okinawan photographer, Mao Ishikawa was 33 years old when she crossed the ocean to Philadelphia in order to photograph the life of her friend, Myron Carr, a former US marine whom she met during his service in Okinawa in the 1970s. The subsequent photo book, “Life in Philly”, is filled with raw and vivid images, capturing the atmosphere and the culture of the predominantly African American neighborhood of downtown Philadelphia in the late 80s. This film looks back on those days, bringing Myron to remembrance as Mao and his surviving family try to find the missing pieces.

Spawning Hope

2020

Coral biologists are concerned about the genetic health of many endangered coral. This short film follows a team of Smithsonian scientists as they attempt to use cryopreserved coral sperm to introduce DNA to new populations of elkhorn coral. If this technique works, it could have lasting impacts on how we are able to protect and restore endangered coral species from near extinction.

Faces of Death

1978

A collection of death scenes, ranging from TV-material to home-made super-8 movies. The common factor is death by some means.