Help Produce a Movie with $1.00
Treehuggers invited to support films and videosNaples, FL. January 20, 2009. Today the first fan-managed, motion picture studio, Green Light Flix announced that it is inviting vegetarians, vegans, animal rights activists, and environmentalists to donate at least $1.00 to help finance eco-friendly feature films & educational videos.
"There are millions of animal and nature lovers around the world. We would actually prefer receiving a dollar from each one of them than receive financing entirely from grants and private investors. The idea of crowd-sourcing is very exciting because countless people will create buzz about the projects and will be excited about seeing them," said Dawn Black, co-founder of Green Light Flix.
Green Light Flix launched in 2008 with the aim of producing feature films, TV Programs, and educational videos that appeal to environmentalists, animal rights activists, and vegetarians.
"Many existing videos produced by animal rights activists consist of footage of slaughterhouses and animal cruelty, which most people do not want to watch. Our goal is to produce a wide variety of positive and educational videos that will have wide appeal and will benefit people, animals, and the environment. Green Light Flix will do that, and we have been getting a lot of support from around the world." said co-founder Scott Cardinal.
Green Light Flix' 2009 slate is listed on their website, and include: "Cold Turkey" - about finding a town in the U.S.A. that will go meat and dairy free for 30 days; "V-Day" - a forward-thinking documentary about what the world would be like in the future if everyone was vegan; "GreEntreprenuer," which consists of interviews with owners of earth-friendly businesses; a series of cooking DVDs, and dramas and comedies with characters that are admirable animal rights activists, vegetarians, vegans, and environmentalists.
"Producing and distributing feature films and videos can be a great form of activism. This is a fantastic opportunity for animal and nature lovers to support the causes they believe in," claims Board Advisor Steve Silberberg.
All projects are financed by individual and corporate donors. Once productions are completed they will be made available for free on-line, and Limited Edition DVDs will be mailed to anyone who donates more than $25.00. Profits will finance future productions and will also be donated to animal rescue, rights, rescue, and welfare organizations selected by its Board of Advisors and Donor Members.
To learn more about Green Light Flix or to make a donation, please visit www.GreenLightFlix.com
And one other thing. I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror today if I didn't mention Dwight Garner's review of Temple Grandin's new book in today's New York Times. The review actually includes:
Ms. Grandin has designed humane and stress-free slaughter systems that are used now to process about half of all the cattle in the United States and Canada. There is some cognitive dissonance here. She is often asked, she tells us, “How can you care about animals when you design slaughter plants?”
Her reply is that “some people think death is the most terrible thing that can happen to an animal.” She argues that “the most important thing for an animal is the quality of its life.”
First, to say that we have humane and stress-free slaughter systems is a complete contradiction in terms. I'm not sure when humane and stress-free were first introduced to and taken seriously as descriptors of slaughter, but this has got to stop.
And finally, though quality of "its" life is surely important to an animal, I'd wager that getting killed, no matter when, where or how, and being lied to for your entire existence, as you exist only for the benefit of someone else's palate, is important as well. There's simply no way around what Grandin has done: She has helped millions of Americans feel as if they're not causing harm by eating animals.
Letters to the editor may be sent to letters@nytimes.com.
And "humane" slaughter is deconstructed at www.HumaneMyth.org.
Whatever rationalization Grandin uses to kill can just as easily be turned on her personally and anyone else who asserts it. IOW, if sentient nonhuman life and death is meaningless and unimportant, then so is human life.
Posted by: Dan | January 21, 2009 at 02:25 PM
Raising money in specific increments is a great idea... Everyone has a dollar right? And it's great that GreenLightFlix is making a film about going meat/dairy free...
Speaking of films - and T Grandin - I can't imagine what feel good placebos will be presented regarding "humane" slaughter, in the HBO movie that stars Claire Danes as Grandin.
Ancient religions have been challenged with carrying out "humane" slaughter based on biblical mandates since the time "god" said it was "okay"... And the British in the late 1800's had the "Model Abattoir Society" and later, the Council of Justice to Animals, all in effort to ease moral concerns. (don't you just love those names?)
But in modern times here in the U.S., 50 years ago a film was shown to Congress that depicted hog slaughter. Senator H. Humphrey was so moved that he sponsered the "humane" legislation that passed in 1958. It's suppose to mandate among other things, that the line be stopped where cases of animal suffering are observed. R-I-G-H-T...
The legislation also took aim at so-called "knockers" who would stun animals with a sledgehammers & poleaxes... Humphrey said this led to animals being "hammered into unconsciousness ... The hammer knocks off horns, mashes noses, breaks jaws, pounds out eyes." And of course, it must lead to chaos and injury to workers in the plants. No wonder the industry didn't balk at it's passage... it only stood to gain by enforcing "better" standards for employees.
And of course all the meat eaters feel so much better about it - Nice, friendly laws in place to "protect" their "sensibilities"... But if anyone has read the documented accounts that Gail Eisnitz gives in her book Slaughterhouse - One can see clearly that laws don't do squat when they're "processing" 1,000+ animals per hour.
"Humane Slaughter" it's just cajoled, grotesque, butchery aimed at preserving "the myth", and Grandin is their prize charmer.
Posted by: Bea Elliott | January 22, 2009 at 11:47 AM