Specisism The Movie is set to hit the mainstream this summer (2013). Pre-screenings are changing people's world views, and making them question their assumption that humans are a superior species to all others. It's based on the idea of the term "speciesism", coined by Peter Singer in the 1970s. Vegan Mainstream was very happy to have the chance to chat with director Mark Devries recently about the movie and its evolution. Read on, and you'll be convinced that this movie is one to put on your "must-see" list
Specisism The Movie is set to hit the mainstream this summer (2013). Pre-screenings are changing people’s world views, and making them question their assumption that humans are a superior species to all others. It’s based on the idea of the term “speciesism”, coined by Peter Singer in the 1970s. Vegan Mainstream was very happy to have the chance to chat with director Mark Devries recently about the movie and its evolution. Read on, and you’ll be convinced that this movie is one to put on your “must-see” list.
Vegan Mainstream: Can you talk about how you got started on this journey? Why did you decide to make this film?
Mark Devries: Honestly, I had no idea what I was getting into. I never expected to learn (and record) the things I did. It all started when I came across some PETA demonstrations, and decided to investigate factory farming as a result. Then I looked deeper and deeper, which took me everywhere, from sneaking through bushes onto factory farm property, to commissioning airplanes to fly overhead and take pictures from the sky. Of course, in a sense, all of that was only the beginning – because then I learned about speciesism itself.
VM: The horrors of factory farming are becoming known to an increasing number of people, and many are beginning to speak out against the cruelties that take place, but this film’s message goes farther than exposing the cruelty, and asks the question, why do some humans feel they are superior to animals, and therefore have the right to treat them this way? Can you talk about what it took for you to start asking that question?
MD: I met and spoke with many of the scientists, lawyers, and academics who have been arguing that our assumption against taking the interests of non-human animals seriously reflects a form of prejudice, similar to prejudices like racism and sexism, which they have termed speciesism. That got me thinking: if they are right, and we cannot justify a sharp ethical distinction between humans and members of other species, then the treatment of animals on factory farms would be one of the most important ethical issues of our time.
VM: What response have you been getting to the idea of the film? Positive and negative – and what have the responses meant to you?
MD: The main purpose of the film is to reach broad audiences, especially consisting of people who are not already familiar with or interested in the subject, so as to help bring the issues into the broader public discussion. As far as I know, this is the first movie to really make that attempt. So far, the response has been very, very encouraging. We have seen a great deal of interest from people with no background whatsoever in the subject. Most excitingly, though, a good number of people who attended sneak preview screenings have told me weeks later that the movie changed their lives.
VM: Do you think this is a message that mainstream America is ready and willing to hear? Why?
MD: Wow, that is an interesting question, and I think the answer depends on what “ready” means in this context. Now, undoubtedly, attitudes and practices are changing fast. Taking non-human animals seriously is a mainstream issue, being discussed on CNN and written about in the New York Times. At the same time, the idea that speciesism is a prejudice runs counter to the intuitions most of us have developed throughout our lives. As a result, this may be just the right time to start a broader public discussion about these ideas, but with the understanding that the development of such a discussion is a process that will take place over a course of years.
VM: When is the movie coming out, and how can people see it?
MD: The movie will be doing a tour of theaters in major US cities, and elsewhere, this summer. After that, it will be available worldwide on Amazon, Netflix, and more. Please make sure to add your email address under “Release Notification” at SpeciesismTheMovie.com, so that you will automatically receive an alert when the release begins. You can also like us on Facebook, at facebook.com/speciesism, and follow us on Twitter, at twitter.com/speciesism.
Watch the trailer:
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