Commissions

Greenlit: Storyville’s Unlocking The Cage, BBC4

Storyville’s Unlocking The Cage (1 x )  – Follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his unprecedented challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from human as he argues on behalf of four captive chimpanzees in New York State.

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.

After 30 years of struggling with ineffective animal welfare laws, Steve and his legal team 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. As the public and judicial system show increasing receptiveness to Steve’s impassioned arguments, Unlocking The Cage is an intimate look at a lawsuit that could forever transform our legal system, and one man’s lifelong quest to protect ‘nonhuman’ animals.

Channel: BBC4

Producer: Pennebaker Hegedus Films

TX: 2016

Source: BBC press release