Louie Psihoyos
Encyclopedia
Louis Psihoyos (born 1957) is an American photographer and documentary film director known for his still photography and contributions to National Geographic. Psihoyos, a licensed scuba-diver, has become increasingly concerned with bringing awareness to underwater life. In 2009 he directed and appeared in the feature-length documentary The Cove, which won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
. During that time he also worked as an extra on the set of F.I.S.T.
Psihoyos attended the University of Missouri, majoring in photojournalism. In 1980, at the age of twenty-three, he was hired by National Geographic and remained with the magazine for seventeen years. During this time he married and had two children. He received multiple awards for his photography, including first place in the World Press Contest and the Hearst Award. In addition, he has worked with magazines such as Smithsonian, Discover, GEO, Time, Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Rock and Ice.
Psihoyos wrote and photographed the book Hunting Dinosaurs with friend and collaborator John Knoebber. It was published in 1994.
(OPS). The objective of OPS is to educate the public on what is happening to 70% of the Earth (the oceans) and to promote individuals to make a difference so that future generations will have an enriched environment, not a diminishing one.
, Jim Clark
, and a team of specially selected crew members, Psihoyos filmed the feature-length documentary The Cove. Released in 2009, the film aims to bring worldwide attention to the yearly killing of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama
, Japan
. Unable to acquire permission from the Japanese government, the filmmakers were required to go to extreme lengths in order to obtain the footage, utilizing equipment and tactics never previously used in a documentary film. The movie also features the International Whaling Commission
(IWC) and IWC's refusal to protect small cetaceans, such as dolphins, primarily due to Japan's influence on the commission. Furthermore, The Cove acknowledges the risk of mercury poisoning to humans who consume dolphin meat while documenting the Japanese government's program to distribute dolphin meat to Japanese school children. On March 7, 2010, The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards
..." As well as its Oscar win, The Cove was nominated for awards at multiple festivals including Hot Docs, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Early life
Psihoyos was born in Dubuque, Iowa in 1957, the son of a Greek immigrant who fled communist occupation of the Peloponnesos region near Sparta after World War II. Psihoyos took an interest in photography at the age of fourteen. As a teenager, he worked as a photo intern with the Telegraph HeraldTelegraph Herald
The Telegraph Herald, locally referred to as the TH, is a daily newspaper published in Dubuque, Iowa for the population of Dubuque and surrounding areas in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin...
. During that time he also worked as an extra on the set of F.I.S.T.
F.I.S.T.
F.I.S.T. is a 1978 movie directed by Norman Jewison and starring Sylvester Stallone. In this film, Stallone plays a Cleveland warehouse worker named Johnny Kovak who becomes involved in the labor union leadership of the fictional "Federation of Inter State Truckers", and finds that he must...
Psihoyos attended the University of Missouri, majoring in photojournalism. In 1980, at the age of twenty-three, he was hired by National Geographic and remained with the magazine for seventeen years. During this time he married and had two children. He received multiple awards for his photography, including first place in the World Press Contest and the Hearst Award. In addition, he has worked with magazines such as Smithsonian, Discover, GEO, Time, Newsweek, New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, Sports Illustrated, and Rock and Ice.
Psihoyos wrote and photographed the book Hunting Dinosaurs with friend and collaborator John Knoebber. It was published in 1994.
Current work
In 2005 Psihoyos co-founded the non-profit organization, Oceanic Preservation SocietyOceanic Preservation Society
The Oceanic Preservation Society is a Colorado-based 501 non-profit organization that promotes marine conservation and environmentalism and addresses issues such as animal rights and censorship. It was founded in 2005 by photographer and current executive director Louie Psihoyos and Silicon Valley...
(OPS). The objective of OPS is to educate the public on what is happening to 70% of the Earth (the oceans) and to promote individuals to make a difference so that future generations will have an enriched environment, not a diminishing one.
The Cove
Together with Ric O'BarryRic O'Barry
Richard "Ric" O'Barry is an American first recognized in the 1960s for capturing and training the five dolphins that were used in the well-known TV series Flipper. O'Barry made a radical transition from training dolphins in captivity to assertively combating the captivity industry soon after...
, Jim Clark
James H. Clark
James H. Clark is an American entrepreneur and computer scientist. He founded several notable Silicon Valley technology companies, including Silicon Graphics, Inc., Netscape Communications Corporation, myCFO and Healtheon...
, and a team of specially selected crew members, Psihoyos filmed the feature-length documentary The Cove. Released in 2009, the film aims to bring worldwide attention to the yearly killing of dolphins in Taiji, Wakayama
Taiji, Wakayama
is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 1 January 2011, the town has an estimated population of 3,225 and a population density of 541 persons per km². The total area is 5.96 km². Taiji is the smallest local government by area in Wakayama Prefecture because, unlike others,...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Unable to acquire permission from the Japanese government, the filmmakers were required to go to extreme lengths in order to obtain the footage, utilizing equipment and tactics never previously used in a documentary film. The movie also features the International Whaling Commission
International Whaling Commission
The International Whaling Commission is an international body set up by the terms of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling , which was signed in Washington, D.C...
(IWC) and IWC's refusal to protect small cetaceans, such as dolphins, primarily due to Japan's influence on the commission. Furthermore, The Cove acknowledges the risk of mercury poisoning to humans who consume dolphin meat while documenting the Japanese government's program to distribute dolphin meat to Japanese school children. On March 7, 2010, The Cove won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards
82nd Academy Awards
The 82nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2009 and took place March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. The ceremony was scheduled well after...
..." As well as its Oscar win, The Cove was nominated for awards at multiple festivals including Hot Docs, Sundance Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and Sheffield Doc/Fest.
Future projects
Upcoming projects include a documentary wake-up call that humanity is presiding over a mass extinction, a massive urban campaign of songs of the seas, and an educational outreach program to educate and inspire youths globally to become lifelong stewards of our environment.External links
- "The Cove"
- Oceanic Preservation Society
- International Whaling Commission
- Interview by Heso Magazine
- Interview by Momentum Blog