Activism

feature

UK's first vegan cinema advertisement coming soon

© Photabulous!

A new initiative 'Bring Hope to Millions' by Viva!, a Bristol-based animal campaigning charity, is set to be shown to over two million UK cinema-goers by the end of this year.

The initiative is estimated to cost Â£100k, which Viva! plans to raise through crowdfunding. But this task has been made much easier thanks to an anonumous donar, that had pledged to match ALL donations to a maximum of Â£50k.

The "Hope not Hell" vegan cinema ad is the first pro-vegan message that will be shown to a mainstream audience in a cinema theatre. The content and inspiration for the cinema ad was the rescue earlier this year of a sow named Hope and her six piglets by Viva! from a farm where they were destined for slaughter. A video clip went viral of Hope and her 6 piglets frolicking with joy at Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary in the Welsh countryside, where they now reside.

Juliet Gellatley, Founder and Director of Viva! explains the importance of this campaign.

Juliet Gellatley with friends Image by: VIVA! UK FREEDOM! video (CC BY-SA)

"Basic natural instincts such as rooting, foraging and nest building are unavailable to pigs on intensive farms. Breeding sows are caged and can't even turn around for much of the time. The beautiful footage of Hope and her family at the sanctuary demonstrates how pigs should live and is in stark contrast to the lives of farmed animals. Most people have never seen a pig living freely and the contrasts shown in our cinema advert will affect them deeply."

Viva!, which has been promoting a plant-based diet for over 20 years, campaigns or a vegan world because "[t]aking the life of an animal who does not want to die is a profoundly terrible act and yet committed so casually in our culture".

Juliet Gellatley encourages carnists to change their outlook and diet.

"The most powerful action you can take to end animal suffering, protect the environment and improve your health is to go vegan."