A new short documentary exploring the issue of animal testing in science is to be released later this month.

Alex Lockwood may be a familiar name to the film-savvy vegans amongst us. Lockwood is an acclaimed director of many short films, whose previous documentary following the story of Jay Wilde, a beef farmer-turned organic vegan produce cultivator entitled 73 cows, was awarded a prestigious BAFTA award in the Best Short Film category. Following on from his recent success exploring vegan and animal ethics-related issues, Lockwood has recently announced the release of his latest project surrounding the hot-topic of animal testing – Test Subjects.

Test Subjects: is animal testing necessary?

Test Subjects explores the journey of three aspiring scientists; Frances, Emily and Amy, whom entered into the field of scientific research with the aim to make a marked difference in the world of human health. What they learnt about animal testing along their journey would lead them to question the necessity and validity of carrying out such experiments upon their animal-based subjects.

Test Subjects will see the three scientists reveal their own personal accounts of working alongside fellow researchers in labs, to whom animal testing is as routine as it comes. From the teaser trailer online, it is clear to see that one of the interviewees is highly emotional when recounting their experiences with animal use in labs during their study.

In an interview with Plant Based News, Lockwood explains:

“Animal testing is still widely accepted as a useful way to explore what does and doesn’t work when it comes to the human body. I think most people think that for this reason, it’s a bit of a necessary evil and that it generally does more good than bad.

I hope that this film will help to challenge that belief and shed light on the fact that animal testing is predominantly ineffective when it comes to human health.”

The future of animal testing is digital

Animal testing may soon become obsolete, thanks to advances in technology and toxicology. There are plenty of alternatives to animal testing, including the use of computerised models which mimic human DNA. Such alternatives can be faster, more efficient and cost-effective, whilst saving the lives of millions of animals involved in lab-based testing every year. You can find out more about these alternatives here.

Test Subjects will will premiere at the Raindance Film Festival on September 20th, and will be shared online for free shortly afterwards.

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Image Credit: Test Subjects via Vimeo