• About BCR
  • News
  • News @ BCR
  • Rescues
  • Issues
  • Cat Laws
Thursday, February 25, 2021
  • Login
  • Register
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
  • Get Involved
  • Cub Facts
  • The Sanctuary Cats
  • FAQs
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Donate
No Result
View All Result
Big Cat Rescue
No Result
View All Result
Home News World

Animal-cruelty documentary raises hackles (Bo Derek interviewed for film)

BCR by BCR
July 8, 2007
in News World
0
0
SHARES
1
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

You might also like

Cub Petting Shame

Rules

GoFree

Animal-cruelty documentary raises hackles (Bo Derek interviewed for film)

 

Lack of support from PETA and intense scrutiny didn’t stop director of Your Mommy Kills Animals

JOHN GRIFFIN, The Gazette

Published: Saturday, July 07

Curt Johnson wants to clear something up right away about his scorching new documentary, Your Mommy Kills Animals. He’s not an animal-rights activist. He’s a free-speech activist.

 

The native of Delaware believes that when American citizens can be jailed simply for what they say on a website, something has gone horribly wrong with the justice system.

 

Yet that is precisely what happened when the FBI fingered the group SHAC (Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty) as the country’s number one domestic terrorist threat, over outfits like Al-Qaeda. Seven members were tried and convicted, fined $1 million each and sentenced to up to five years in the slammer.

 

Not one of them had ever been seen committing a violent act against laboratories or industrial sites or releasing animals into the wild. They were nailed for publishing their thoughts, and the negative bottom-line effects those thoughts were having on big business.

 

Were that simply the story of Your Mommy Kills Animals, it would justify its existence, its sensational reaction at the last Hot Docs festival in Toronto and its inclusion tonight in the first-ever documentary section of the Fantasia festival.

 

But writer-director Johnson has more arrows in his quiver. He looks at the more well-known animal-rights groups like PETA and finds them wanting. He looks at the massively funded Humane Society of the United States in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and finds it sorely wanting. And he details how the extreme actions of a tiny minority inflict grievous wounds on an entire movement that would like to see animals treated ethically.

 

In all this he has the support of a convincing number of experts, bunny-huggers, soft-hearted celebs and hardcore lifers like ex-Greenpeace mainstay Paul Watson, of the Sea Shepherd Conservancy. Johnson did not have the support of PETA.

 

"We were all set to conduct 13 interviews with members of PETA when they suddenly pulled the plug," said the smart, funny, talkative Johnson this week. "I thought the project was doomed. But it helped, in a weird way. By not talking they shot themselves in the foot."

 

Your Mommy Kills Animals borrows its name from a visually horrific comic book PETA aimed at school kids as young as 6 years old. "I could have called the movie Everybody Loves Animals, but no one would have noticed."

 

Instead, research into the anti-fur organization revealed that it had a significantly higher kill rate than any other animal shelter in the U.S., as a twisted result of its "liberty or death" position. In other words, PETA would kill an animal rather than see it confined.

 

"When I started I knew nothing about the movement," he recalled. "My curiosity was with the terrorism aspect of the movement and how the activists were considered nuts."

 

Johnson and a skeleton crew talked to high profile personages like Christopher Hitchens, P. J. O’Rourke, Moby, Joss Stone, Drew Carey, Joe Mantegna and Bo Derek. He gets input from people doing real work on the ground in groups like Animal Precinct and the Animal Defense League.

 

And he has fascinating, sometimes unwatchable footage of animal mistreatment and noisy, angry confrontations between activists and those they believe profit from cruelty.

 

"I did food tests with test audiences to determine how graphic we could make it before people started losing their lunch," admitted Johnson, who worked in a New York PR firm before turning to film full-time. "We want as many as possible to see this film."

 

It’s a film that very nearly didn’t get made. "When I look back at it, we went through hell. We were followed by undercover agents. DVD interviews and log books were stolen from my hotel room, so we started booking two or three hotels under assumed names in every town we visited.

 

It’s bizarre. After everything we went through I’d think twice about doing it again. I actually despaired of it having a commercial release."

 

But after the Hot Docs reaction and furious activity at the yourmommykillsanimals.com website, distributors came calling. Johnson’s movie has a Canadian release set for later this summer.

 

"Surprisingly, it always seems as though the productions that go through hell are the ones that do well. The odds were totally against us, so it’s gratifying now to see people finally get it."

 

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/popculture/story.html?id=7a6deef4-b8ce-4509-b85d-8c333d3f3ea9&p=2

 


Tags: News World
Previous Post

CARACAL Species Spotlight – Big Cat TV

Next Post

White tiger cubs go on display at Mexican zoo

BCR

BCR

Big Cat Rescue is Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade

Related Posts

Cub Petting Shame
Cat Laws

Cub Petting Shame

January 17, 2021
1.3k
Be Safe Out There!
How To Start A Sanctuary

Rules

March 31, 2020
98
Big Cat Rescue does bobcat rehab and release of native, Florida bobcats.
Articles by BCR

GoFree

March 29, 2020
384
Nik Tiger being Xrayed
How To Start A Sanctuary

What is a day like at Big Cat Rescue?

June 30, 2020
52
Cougars at Big Cat Rescue
Memorials

Artemis

January 28, 2020
194
Next Post

White tiger cubs go on display at Mexican zoo

Leave a Reply

  • Default Comments (0)
  • Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Help Feed Big Cats

One of the best ways to help is through general donations that can be used however it is most needed at the time.To make a general donation just click the Donate Now button below.  This is the best way to give as it has the lowest credit card processing fees and is immediate help for the cats.

Give to Big Cat Rescue

If you prefer to donate via Pay Pal, please use this link: Pay Pal

Take Action Against Abuse

Shop To Save Big Cats

More From BigCatRescue

  • Big Cat Rescue is Live 24/7 on Webcams
  • Rescue Missions
  • About Big Cat Rescue
  • Big Cat Rescue News
  • Reviews
  • Our Recent Work
  • Sanctuary FAQs
  • Big Cat TV

Sanctuary Cats

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Big Cat Information

  • Jaguars
  • Leopards
  • Lions
  • Tigers
  • Bobcats
  • Canada Lynx
  • Cougars
  • Ocelots
  • Savannah Cats
  • Servals

Ways to Help

  • Newsletter SignUp
  • Donate Now
  • Volunteer
  • Contact Us
  • View AMP Versioin
No Result
View All Result
  • 2018 Appeal
  • About BCR
  • About our Cookies
  • BCR in the Media
  • Big Cat Rescue Caring for Cats and Ending the Trade
  • Big Cat Times
  • Blog
  • Board of Directors
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Cookie Policy
  • Credentials
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • Embed Link
  • GET THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT CUB PETTING
  • Global Big Cat News
  • Intern Program
  • Kids
  • Latest from Big Cat Rescue
  • Licensing
  • Map
  • Map of Big Cat Owners
  • Netflix
  • News about Big Cats
  • News Gallery
  • News@BCR
  • Our Video Series
  • PressRoom
  • Privacy Policy
  • Rescues
  • Search result
  • Series Archive – Default header
  • Shop
  • SnowLeopard
  • Social Stream
  • Staff
  • Teachers
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Terms of Use
  • Test Gravity
  • USFWS
  • Vets
  • Videos archive
  • Get Involved
    • Automatic
    • Sponsorships
    • Volunteer
      • AdvoCats
      • Click to Feed
      • Intern
    • Legacy
    • Roar! Speak Out for Big Cats
    • Ink
  • Finances
  • How We Started
  • Abuse Issues
    • Issues
      • Exhibitions
      • Private Ownership of Big Cats
      • Zoos
      • White Tigers
      • Circus
      • Fur
      • Trophy Hunting
      • Canned Hunting
      • Why Regulations Don’t Work
  • Our Evolution
  • Photos & Facts
  • Videos
  • Our Volunteers
  • Your Privacy
  • Donate
  • Site Map
  • Field Trips

© Copyright 2021 BigCatRescue.Org. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT

Add New Playlist