A court in Japan has banned protesters from demonstrating at a cinema where bosses plan to show controversial documentary The Cove, about the slaughter of dolphins in the country.

Louie Psihoyos and Ric O'Barry's film follows a group of activists as they struggle with police and fishermen to gain access to a secluded cove in Taiji, southern Japan, where dolphins are hunted. The film angered local fishermen, who argue dolphin hunting is part of their culture, and they slammed the covert techniques employed by the filmmakers.

Protesters took to the streets of Tokyo earlier this month to fight The Cove's presence in Japan, forcing initial screenings to be cancelled in fear of noisy boycotts. The Yokohama New Theater, a small cinema near Tokyo which planned to go ahead with showings beginning July 3rd, was specifically targeted by demonstrations.

However, the Yokohama regional court issued an order on Friday that has silenced angry mobs, and showings are scheduled to go on at the venue as planned.