A Cow at My Table inter-cuts these diverse perspectives with archival films, images from modern-day agribusiness and footage of farm animals shot from uncharacteristic vantage points. The result, say critics and programmers, is a documentary that is “brilliant,” “visually smart,” “extremely accomplished” and “extraordinarily compelling and powerful.”  In the words of Toronto’s NOW Magazine film critic Cameron Bailey, “Like all the best documentaries, this film offers more questions than answers.”  90 minutes, 1998.(Excerpt from Animal Liberation Front) 

EARTHLINGS is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, EARTHLINGS is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs. The film is narrated by Academy Award® nominee Joaquin Phoenix and features music by platinum-selling recording artist Moby. Initially ignored by distributors, today EARTHLINGS is considered the definitive animal rights film by organizations around the world. “Of all the films I have ever made, this is the one that gets people talking the most,” said Phoenix. “For every one person who sees EARTHLINGS, they will tell three.”  Warning:  Content is graphic and disturbing.  (Excerpt from Earthlings)

                                                                                                          
 A LIFE CONNECTED                                                                                             Watch Now

 

Available in six languages, A Life Connected gently and powerfully presents the   truths about how each of our choices in the past built the world we live in today. And each of our choices from this moment forward will build the world we live in tomorrow. We will build a world reflective of our shared values of justice, kindness and compassion for other people, for the planet and for animals when our everyday choices are aligned with those values. 11:43. 

   

 

THE WITNESS                                                                                                        Watch Now

How does a construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood become an impassioned animal advocate? In the award-winning documentary THE WITNESS, Eddie Lama explains how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart, inspiring him to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. With humor and sincerity, Eddie tells the story of his remarkable change in consciousness. 

THE WITNESS has been an official selection in 32 film festivals where it has received eight awards for Best Documentary and two for Best of Festival. It has been broadcast on the independent film showcases of several regional PBS stations, as well as LinkTV, FreeSpeech TV, and United Kingdom's Community Channel. Thus far, the film has been translated into 11 languages, including Russian and Chinese. 43 minutes, 2000. (Excerpt from Tribe of Heart)

 

UNITY

 

Seven years in the making, UNITY is a new documentary that explores humanity’s hopeful transformation from living by killing into living by loving. It is a unique film about compassion for all beings, or all “expressions of life,” and going beyond all “separation based on form,” and beyond perceiving opposites. Writer/Director Shaun Monson, collaborating with an astounding cast of 100 celebrity narrators (never before gathered in the history of film-making), presents a message of love, tragedy and hope, all set against the backdrop of some of the most compelling 20th and 21st Century footage imaginable.

Presented in chapters, (like its predecessor EARTHLINGS) UNITY takes an in-depth look at what it truly means to be human, to be mortal, and to be incarnate in this world. The film explores our brief existence among the Cosmos (Chapter I), then moves on to the perceptions of our Mind (Chapter II), the nature of our Body (Chapter III), the infinite capacity of our Heart (Chapter IV), and ultimately to the mysterious energy of the Soul (Chapter V). Initially, these chapters will appear unrelated to each other. But as the film progresses it becomes clear that all life is interconnected, and each chapter represents the totality of our mortal experience, which is only measured in decades.

With a cast of 100 voices all speaking as one voice, UNITY is a genuine cinematic experience unlike any other.

 

FILMS ON DVD 

The following documentary films are available on DVD and can be ordered online.  We have screened some of the films but not all of them.  Consider sharing them with friends and family, making a donation to a public or school library, or hosting a film screening.  

 

 

Delicate Balance (Australia) 84 minutes
	A Delicate Balance documents the latest discoveries of some of the most prominent experts on nutrition in the world. Over 50 years of research is skilfully woven into what feels like a detective unravelling the mysteries behind the disease epidemic which has struck affluent countries with a vengeance - disease has been escalating over the last 50 years resulting in 1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women being diagnosed with cancer.  Watching this film will help you make informed choices about your health and the environment around you and how to reduce your personal impact. adelicatebalance.com.au
A Life Connected 12 minutes
	“We believe people are born with values that connect them to humanity and the rest of the world in which they live — values of justice, kindness and compassion. Our task is to help each other reconnect.” Watch it online
A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values To Help Heal The World  60 minutes
	Jewish Vegetarians of North America produced this documentary about how Jewish teachings can help address current environmental crises. It is especially suitable for synagogues, temples, JCCs, Jewish schools and other Jewish institutions.  However, its universal message speaks to people everywhere about the ethics of our relationship to the natural world, and why it is imperative that we respond quickly to help shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path.  It is an expose of the dangers of global warming that highlights how religious responses can make a difference, and why a shift toward plant-based diets is an essential part of efforts to reduce global climate change and other environmental threats.  Includes interviews with Rabbis, Israeli environmentalists, and prominent Jewish activists. Order free DVD or watch online at www.jewishveg.com/asacredduty/
Eating 88 minutes
	“Join over 20 million people throughout the world who have watched this award-winning film. It covers a lot of ground very comprehensively. Among the many highlights are interviews with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Dr. Neil Pinckney, Dr. Ruth Heidrich and Dr. Joseph Crowe... What you will get is a virtual one-on-one consultation with some of the world's leading authorities on heart disease reversal.”  Includes segments on environmental and ethical issues. http://www.ravediet.com/
Forks Over Knives
	This feature film examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods.  The major storyline traces the personal journeys of two pioneering nutrition and health researchers, T. Colin Campbell PhD and Caldwell Esselstyn Jr, MD.  The idea of food as medicine is put to the test.  Throughout the film, cameras follow “reality patients” who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes.  Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole foods plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments—while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.  The film features many nutrition experts, and utilizes state of the art 3-D graphics and rare archival footage.  forksoverknives.com
Mad Cowboy 58 minutes
	Based on the book Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat, by Howard Lyman.  This is the story of the fourth generation cattle rancher and dairy farmer turned vegetarian and food safety activist who was co-defendant with Oprah Winfrey in the infamous "veggie libel" case brought by Texas ranchers.  Lyman uncovers the dangerous and potentially deadly practices of the cattle and dairy industry.  The film is a manifesto for change from an industry insider whose firsthand experiences may alter the way you think about your food, and the people who produce it. http://www.madcowboy.com/02_VVFprods.002.html#MCD
Meat the Truth 73 minutes
	A Dutch-produced documentary, Meat the Truth is done in the style of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth and presents the case for meat production’s impact on climate change.  It is a must-see companion film to An Inconvenient Truth, presenting the critical information omitted from the earlier film and contributing to societal discussion about movement towards plant-based diets and thus also a more humane society. http://www.meatthetruth.com/ and http://www.meatthetruth.nl/content/view/114
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home 78 minutes
	A story of transformation and healing, this film explores the awakening conscience of several people who grew up in traditional farming culture and who have now come to question the basic premises of their inherited way of life. With honest interviews and rare footage demonstrating the emotional lives and intense family bonds of animals most often viewed as living commodities, this groundbreaking documentary shatters stereotypical notions of farmers, farm life, and perhaps most surprisingly, farm animals themselves. http://www.tribeofheart.org/
Processed People 40 minutes
	”Processed People features in-depth discussions with leading health and environmental experts/advocates detailing why so many of us are sick, and offers solutions to our current devastating health crisis. It features insightful interviews from nine preeminent health and environmental experts/advocates. They discuss how and why Americans got into this mess, and what we can do to break the ‘processed people’ cycle.  The DVD contains the full documentary (40 minutes) along with 140 additional minutes of extended personal interviews with the experts, plus another 25 minutes of special feature items.” http://www.processedpeople.com/
Seeing Through the Fence 83 minutes
	Through a series of humorous and poignant interviews conducted across the US and in Greece with “random people,” the documentarian’s family, and activists, Seeing Through the Fence explores our attitudes about the role of food in modern society and our connection, or lack of connection, with both the processes and animals from which our food originates, asking the question, “What prevents ethical principles from being advanced to action?” http://www.porchlifeproductions.com/
Sustainable Table 52 minutes
	Over nine months, Mischa Hedges and Digital Sense Productions traveled the west coast to learn more about our food system. During production, he found that the standard methods of producing food do not take environmental or human health costs into consideration. He also explored the many alternatives to the current agricultural system.  Includes interviews with Howard Lyman (Mad Cowboy) and Kenneth Williams (vegan bodybuilder). http://www.sustainabletablemovie.com/
The Animals Film 25th Anniversary Edition, 120 minutes
	“The most impressive film maudit, possibly too hot to handle, is Victor Schonfeld’s The Animals Film, a polemical onslaught, stuffed with footage never before shown, and a wealth of newly-shot material often taken undercover, which documents...mankind’s degradation, exploitation, and often pointless torture, of the creatures who share our planet... I do not know when I have come out of a screening so moved by the power of the cinema as a medium to transform the entire sensibility of an audience.” http://www.victorschonfeld.com/
The Emotional World of Farm Animals 53 minutes
	Aired nationally on PBS, this is a documentary for viewers of all ages about the thinking and feeling side of animals who are all too often just viewed as food.  Jeffrey Masson leads viewers through the personal journey he underwent while writing his book, The Pig Who Sang to The Moon.  This journey into the sentient, emotional lives of farm animals brings Masson to animal sanctuaries around the country where caregivers and the animals themselves tell their stories of rescue and escape.  Masson delves into the rich ancestry of these curious and intelligent animals and interviews top experts in animal behavior.  A 50 page study guide to accompany the film is also available. http://www.animalplace.org/shop.html
The True Cost of Food 15 minutes, and a 7-minute abridged version; DVD or watch online
	Produced by The Sierra Club Sustainable Consumption Committee Mission, this film’s goal is to encourage people to think about the environmental impacts of their consumption choices by providing specific information. http://www.sierraclub.org/truecostoffood/movie.asp
The Witness 43 minutes
	“The Witness is one man’s truth that cries out for mass exposure… may be the most important and persuasive film about animals ever made.” In this award-winning documentary, a construction contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood explains how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart, inspiring him to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. With humor and sincerity, he tells the story of his remarkable change in consciousness. http://www.witnessfilm.org/
Earthlings 90 minutes
	Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, music by Moby Award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research.  Caution: Content is graphic and disturbing throughout. http://www.earthlings.com/