{"id":772103,"date":"2023-04-05T08:52:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-05T12:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=772103"},"modified":"2023-04-05T09:33:11","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T13:33:11","slug":"animal-advocates-should-turn-their-attention-to-hollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/animalrightswatch.us\/?p=772103","title":{"rendered":"THE MESSAGE IS THE MEDIUM: Animal advocates should turn their attention to Hollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"\t
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The landscape of films made with social change in mind has grown, Still, almost none of them deal directly with factory farming and the way our food systems exploit animals. Animal rights activists could use narrative media to expose viewers through stories that appeal to not just their intellect, but to their emotions.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/blockquote>\n\n

BRIAN KATEMAN:<\/strong> \u201cCoffee Wars,\u201d a new movie starring singer, actor, and vegan activist Kate Nash hit streaming services last month, to the delight of certain plant-based corners of the internet. The story follows a down-on-her-luck vegan caf\u00e9 owner (Nash) as she enters a global barista competition \u2014 despite the competition\u2019s rules strictly requiring the use of dairy milk. The fiery protagonist and her team of colleagues approach their mission as a \u201crevolution,\u201d an upheaval necessary to protect the planet and end animal exploitation. The vegan ethos goes beyond the script. Only non-dairy milk was used on set, and wardrobe, makeup, and hair styling products were chosen ethically as well, with sustainability as a priority. Perhaps most significantly, the filmmakers have pledged to donate all profits from the film to related charities.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s little wonder that animal activists have been excited for the movie\u2019s release. The landscape of films made with social change in mind has grown to include more and more stories with themes relating to climate change (i.e, \u201cDon\u2019t Look Up,\u201d \u201cmother!,\u201d and the \u201cJurassic World Dominion\u201d). Still, almost none of them deal directly with factory farming and the way our food systems exploit animals…<\/em><\/p>\n

Narrative works (like movies, TV, and even other media like books and video games), have done a lot to educate and inspire empathy for marginalized people in a way that facts and figures alone have not. Animal rights activists could use narrative media in similar ways, to expose viewers to real societal problems through approachable stories that appeal to not just their intellect, but to their emotions and senses of humor, too. Before, \u201cCoffee Wars,\u201d Bong Joon-ho\u2019s 2017 film \u201cOkja\u201d for Netflix was the best (and possibly the only) example of a contemporary film that addresses animal exploitation under capitalism. But of course, one movie does not a revolution make.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s encouraging that more filmmakers are adding to the conversation with new works like \u201cCoffee Wars.\u201d Factory farming is a high-stakes issue. As Nash\u2019s character informs a customer, the cows are \u201cmilked and milked and milked until their bones are so brittle they can\u2019t even stand.\u201d As such, the industry deserves to be explored on the biggest of screens…<\/em><\/p>\n

Storytelling is a powerful tool to inspire empathy, education, passion, and change. Hopefully, the future of film will bring us stories that inform audiences about real-life issues, earn an emotional response, and inspire us to imagine a future starkly different from our present. \u201cCoffee Wars\u201d is setting a stunning example by donating its profits and making material choices to pursue sustainability in a field that\u2019s often incredibly wasteful. <\/em>SOURCE…<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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