We are honored that Earthlings will be included in the first annual Blue Planet Film Festival, a four-day animal and environmental film fest and forum to raise mainstream awareness and motivate people to action on the most important issue of our time: saving the earth.

As part of the festival, numerous workshops and events are planned, including a release of rehabilitated penguins back into the wild, food demos, and even how to create a green roof. If you are in Southern California, please join us! (The festival is also seeking volunteers.)

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Merseyside Animal Rights recently screened Earthlings at FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) in Liverpool, England. It was the culmination of FACT's "Climate for Change" Exhibition. Merseyside’s Rhonda Moorhouse sent us her thoughts:

Eventhough the sudden arrival of the first good weather of the year kept some people away it was a success. We had colourful artwork and political posters with an animal rights theme on the walls. We had nine of the same poster (a picture of a beagle inside Huntingdon Life Sciences with the words, "They suffer until YOU stop it") to drive home the point that the film is not an end in itself but should be a prelude to action.

We took care to make available campaigning leaflets which corresponded to each of the five sections of the film – pets, food, entertainment, clothes and research – so that people could take immediate action in response to what they had just witnessed.

About thirty people attended, sitting or standing around the large, darkened auditorium. I was humbled to see that the audience included some elderly people: in particular, an elderly lady who had difficulty walking (she used two sticks) had made the effort to come. The large screen (about four metres by four metres) maximised the film's impact and we had the special extended version of the film so the director's featurettes set the film in context perfectly for the audience. The moment I clicked on the mouse to start the film was a moment of profound satisfaction and fulfillment for me. They all watched in complete silence, riveted to the screen. Alas, about six left before the end, obviously overcome with emotion, both men and women.

I think it was definitely worth doing and I learned much about putting on a screening by doing it. We have planted a seed that will grow; through our publicity scores of people in Liverpool now have heard of Earthlings who otherwise might not have. I am proud to have been the first to arrange a public screening of it in Liverpool.

As for myself, Earthlings has changed me even though I was already an activist. I knew nothing before I saw Earthlings. The scales have fallen from my eyes with regard to man's capacity for evil. I am reminded of the words of Martin Luther King in his book The Measure of a Man : 'The nature of man is dual; he is capable of great evil and great good.'

There is hope. It was man who built Auschwitz but it was also man who walked in and liberated it.

Society needs to change and it can change because it has changed before. The International Slavery Museum is here in Liverpool. It overlooks the George Dock where the slave ships docked for over a hundred years. Walking around that museum, one is aware that a revolution in consciousness has taken place; people used to think that trading and keeping slaves was OK but they no longer do. The same kind of revolution in thinking can be applied to the treatment of animals. Picking on animals is not right. It has got to stop. Earthlings made me realise I have to work harder, much harder, to achieve this. In the words of Heather Nicholson, who is at present serving an eleven-year prison sentence in relation to the campaign against Huntingdon Life Sciences at HMP Bronzefield in England, even though she is completely innocent of any wrongdoing (even the judge agreed she had done nothing wrong): 'If we all pull together we can make a difference. Never stop fighting to stop animal abuse.'

A big THANK YOU to Shaun and the team for all your efforts. I look forward to working with again in the future.”

Thank you, Rhonda! We can’t wait to do it again.

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AgireOra, an Italian vegan organization, recently held a screening of Earthlings in Alessandria. We thought the following tips would be helpful to anyone planning a public screening. Organizer Massimo Siri said:

In the days before the screening, we produced and spread hundreds of leaflets, and exposed fifty playbills on the shop windows, at the university, in front the schools and sent press releases to local newspapers.

The attendance was high and the conference room was full up. Some attendees had to stand. Many faces were known, but many others were new, and some of them arrived from far off. After a short introduction warning about the contents of scenes of explicit violence, we showed first the promotional trailer and then we started the screening.

At the end of the second part (on food), and before the third (on clothing), we had an intermission, and offered some vegan food for tasting. The intention was to catch one's breath and exchange some comments on the film. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea, because for the second half of the film, the audience was cut in half. Perhaps it is better not to break the film, and have the debate and offer the refreshments at the end.

Shocking but informative, this film has offered viewers many things to reflect on, and we invite anyone to organize initiatives like this.

Mille grazie, Massimo!

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GreenUP is a student-run organization at the University of Pretoria in South Africa that helps educate university staff and students about the environmental issues that affect the campus, city and beyond. The group recently held several screenings of Earthlings. Chairperson Jacqueline Brown gave us the highlights:

We held four screenings of the movie at our campus and had between50 and 60 viewers in total. Before the screening we handed out a document listing companies that do not test products on animals and do not include animal products in their manufacturing processes. While most viewers were appalled by what they saw in the movie, they expressed thanks for seeing it as it increased their awareness. One of our members even came back to see it a second time and brought her mother along! We plan to run a second series of screenings in about the next six months or so and will continue to do this over the years. Thanks for your support and a very informative documentary.

Thanks Jacqueline!

If you’d like to hold a screening (on campus or off), contact us at connect@earthlings.com.

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