Though documentaries are the “brussel sprouts” of movies according to filmmaker Louie Psihoyos, his film “The Cove” may overcome the stigma of the often despised vegetable.

Psihoyos, director of the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove,” spoke to Georgetown students last night about his film and mankind’s impact on the environment.

“The Cove” follows a team of filmmakers, activists and other specialists as they covertly film annual dolphin hunting in Taiji, Japan. Using investigative reporting techniques, hidden microphones and infrared cameras, the film captures Japanese fishermen herding dolphins into a hidden cove where they are slaughtered for consumption.

“These animals are so cool, so exquisite,” Psihoyos said. “They are the only wild animal to ever come out to save a human being.”

Psihoyos speaks from experience – dolphins defended him from a hammerhead shark while he was diving.

“I’m trying to repay the favor a little bit,” he said.

In addition to discussing the ecological impact of dolphin hunting, the film reports on the human threats to ocean life. But the process goes both ways, as the film points out – humans are at a risk of mercury poisoning from consuming dolphin meat and other seafood.

Psihoyos hopes the issues brought to life in his film will eventually influence policy.

“Most movies are 10 dollars and a box of popcorn, but I think this movie can change the world,” Psihoyos said.

Before working on “The Cove,” his first feature film, Psihoyos was a photographer for National Geographic magazine.

“The only experience I had was a three-day crash course before I went to Taiji,” he said. Psihoyos said, however, that his biggest challenge was not in the filming itself, but in making a movie that appealed to audiences as a documentary.

“The business model for documentaries is broken,” he said. “But that isn’t why we made this movie.”

Psihoyos hopes that “The Cove” will motivate people to discover solutions to such problems. “Turn off the lights, invest in energy efficient appliances.”

“There’s not an energy shortage, there’s a creativity shortage,” he said. “We just need more voices inspiring people to make the right choices.”

Students that attended felt that Psihoyos himself certainly inspired them.

“He was able to make a documentary so important and so entertaining at the same time,” Joe Mancino (COL ’13) said.

Eric Wright (MSB ’13), the member of the Georgetown Lecture Fund that helped coordinate the event, felt that Psihoyos has an important message for Georgetown students.

“I think everyone should know about this issue,” he said. “We have a lot of activist-type people on this campus, and if you can get them passionate they can change things [.] you know that the people here are going to be running the world in 20 years.”

In exchange, Psihoyos also valued the opportunity to speak with Georgetown students.

“This generation I’m speaking to now is the one I have the most hope for,” he said. Everybody here has a mission – why you’re here, why you’re in school. You all right now have the best ideas you’ll ever have, and I want to inspire you to keep that. You want to change the world, and that’s what “The Cove” is about.”