The Animal Condition.
Animal welfare documentary The Animal Condition is set for a national release beginning this month via cinema-on-demand platform Fan-Force.
The film, directed by Michael Dahlstrom and produced and written by Dahlstrom, Ande Cunningham, Sarah-Jane Mcallan and Augusta Miller, is a collaboration between four NIDA graduates who met in 2007-08 during their studies.
Shortly after graduating they picked up a camera and spent three years filming their experiences as they travelled the country canvassing the views of industry heavyweights (Australian Pork Limited and Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry), federal politicians (the then Minister for Agriculture Senator the Hon. Joe Ludwig and the Hon. Bob Katter MP) and animal welfare advocates (Lyn White and Peter Singer).
“This isn’t just another animal welfare film," said Dahlstrom, "it’s a documentary about human and animal suffering; the dying farmer unable to keep his operating costs low enough to break even, the activist jailed for refusing to pay trespassing fines and the animals caught in the middle."
The documentary, which has been whittled from over 400 hours of shot footage, comes out at a topical time.
In late 2014 the Minister for Agriculture announced plans to make filming in farms without permission illegal. These have been dubbed the ‘ag-gag’ laws and if passed, members of the public who film and report animal cruelty could face prosecution. On the flip side, the filmmakers said in a statement, farmers and those within the animal industry often feel harassed by rights groups and misrepresented in the media.
Following screenings at the Melbourne International Film Festival, CinefestOz and Portland Film Festival, the film is currently set to play at these venues via Fan-Force:
Hobart: Wed 17 Aug – The State Cinema Hobart
Canberra: Mon 22 Aug – Dendy Cinemas Canberra
Brisbane: Wed 24 Aug – Event Cinemas Myer Centre
Sydney: Wed 14 Sept – Event Cinema George St
Darwin: Wed 28 Sept – Deckchair Cinema