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Press Release: ‘The Animal Thing’ Film is Selected by the 33rd St Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF)
29th October 2024
‘The Animal Thing’, about the life of animal ethics pioneer Professor Andrew Linzey, has been selected for one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world – the St Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF).
The film will be shown at The Public Library venue in St Louis on Saturday 9th November at 2pm. The director Adam Linzey, and producer Jesse Fox, will be at the event and taking part in a Q&A straight after the screening.
‘The Animal Thing’ charts the struggles of animal theologian Andrew Linzey, as explored by his filmmaker son. This is the story of a man who spoke out as a progressive voice in the Anglican Church, ended up a polarizing force at the University of Oxford, and was a tireless advocate for animal rights, on a range of issues from fox hunting and seal clubbing, to animal experimentation.
He is founder of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, and co-creator of the Centre’s Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School. Andrew is also author and editor of more than 40 books, including Christianity and the Rights of Animals (Wipf and Stock), Animal Theology (University of Illinois Press), and Why Animal Suffering Matters (Oxford University Press).
Today, Andrew considers himself a failure. But despite the immense price he has paid for confronting the cruelty of animal exploitation, Andrew has also had an enormous and, until now, largely unheralded impact on the modern animal movement, which is why ‘The Animal Thing’ is seen as such an important film. See: https://www.theanimalthing.com/
The 33rd Whitaker St Louis International Film Festival takes place from November 7th to 17th November in St Louis, Missouri. Venues across the city will become portals to other worlds, offering the perfect refuge for thousands of movie lovers. With a selection of 271 films from more than 30 countries, the film festival offers the opportunity to explore a multitude of genres and cultures. See: https://sliff.cinemastlouis.org/2024/
“While interviewing Joyce Tischler, a trailblazing animal rights lawyer, she said, ‘Animal people are often broken people.” As soon as she said that, I realized she might as well be describing my Dad. “Most people who know my father, Andrew Linzey, regard his life as a great success. But Dad sees his life rather differently, as a series of failures. Now in his 70s and with his health deteriorating, I wanted to finally tell his story: to explore his ideas and hopefully prove that he’s not a failure.” said Director, Adam Linzey.
Editor’s Notes:
Adam Linzey (Director), Jesse Fox (Producer) and Clair Linzey (Producer) are available for interview.
Images can be downloaded here.
For media enquiries please contact Sophie at Panpathic Communications: Sophie@panpathic.com / 07815 860 082.
The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is an independent centre pioneering ethical perspectives on animals through academic research, teaching, and publication. The Centre comprises more than 100 academic Fellows worldwide.
Web: www.oxfordanimalethics.com/home
Instagram: @oxfordanimalethics
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@oxfordanimalethics
Web: The Animal Thing | documentary
Instagram: @theanimalthingmovie
