Hamilton-Wenham Public Library

Unlocking the cage, science and the case for animal rights, Pennebaker Hegedus Films and HBO Documenatary films present, in co-production with BBC, Arte France, and VPRO; directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker ; produced by Frazer Pennebaker ; edited by Pax Wasserman ; produced by Rosadel Varela

eng

videorecording

Unlocking the cage

968154311

Pennebaker Hegedus Films and HBO Documenatary films present, in co-production with BBC, Arte France, and VPRO; directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker ; produced by Frazer Pennebaker ; edited by Pax Wasserman ; produced by Rosadel Varela

91

science and the case for animal rights

Follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. After thirty years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), are making history by filing the first lawsuits that seek to transform an animal from a thing with no rights to a person with legal protections. Supported by affidavits from primatologists around the world, Steve maintains that, based on scientific evidence, cognitively complex animals such as chimpanzees, whales, dolphins, and elephants have the capacity for limited personhood rights (such as bodily liberty) that would protect them from physical abuse. Using writs of habeas corpus (historically used to free humans from unlawful imprisonment), Wise argues on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State. Unlocking the Cage captures a monumental shift in our culture, as the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Steve's impassioned arguments. It is an intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform our legal system, and one man's lifelong quest to protect "nonhuman" animals

live action