Bear Witness: New Global Vegan Documentary Set To Hit Screens This Year

There’s a new documentary that is set to hit the screens later this year, and there’s a reason we’re excited: it shines the spotlight on the activism scene here in India!

“Bear Witness” & The Women Behind It

Bear Witness is a documentary about animal farming and activism, directed and co-produced by Lauren Maddox and Anita Krajnc. Lauren met Anita Krajnc in Vancouver, Canada whilst going to an Animal Activism conference.  As Anita and Lauren got to know each other, Anita asked Lauren to join the team, and she came on board as host of the documentary and the producer of the Mumbai segment (which is co-produced and directed by Parveen Dusanj-Bedi).

Lauren Maddox is an English-born actress – you probably recognise her as Demi Moore’s cousin from the film “Another Happy Day,” or the James McAvoy starrer “Filth.” (She’s a committed animal rights activist.) 

Lauren Maddox

Anita Krajnc is the founder of Toronto Pig Save and The Save Movement, a worldwide network of groups bearing witness to farmed animals, advocating veganism and promoting love-based grassroots activism. It all started when Krjanc was out on a walk with her dog and saw pigs being taken to slaughter in downtown Toronto.

The film’s intent is to unearth the truth about how unnatural and cruel animal farming is and to highlight the work of activist across the globe. And Toronto Pig Save is the starting point of it all. Says Maddox, “The intention behind this documentary is to show that all species of animals have a soul and feel pain and therefore, we should not be turning our attention the other way and killing them, just because of humans’ thirst for flesh. We show why to 'Bear Witness' to the suffering animals going to slaughter – outside slaughterhouses and at vigils – and to NOT turn away.”

What It’s All About

The documentary focuses on farmed animals, their plight and the activists who are fighting for their cause. People don’t think twice about eating bacon, but dogs are pets and “human’s best friend.” This is the perception Maddox wants to change with her film - all animals are sentient, and none want to be killed.

The film also puts meat into perspective. Humans are omnivores and before the discovery of fire, ate nuts, berries, seeds, fruits and vegetables that grew naturally. The film explores how meat is acidic, and that, coupled with the dead cells it contains, creates illness.

The Mumbai Connection

Maddox and her team have filmed an entire section of the documentary in Mumbai, focusing on the growing vegan movement in India. Parveen  Dusanj-Bedi & Azjad Nazir are the producers of the Mumbai parts of the documentary, as well as the upcoming vegan series "Kind Planet," which will also be hosted by Maddox.

Why Mumbai? Says Maddox, “Our aim was for me to unearth the truth of what is happening in different countries in relation to farmed animals through footage as well as through interviews with celebrity vegans and activists…I noticed that there are some very powerful female vegan entrepreneurs in Mumbai and this was really empowering for the spread of veganism among such a large number of people.” They've shot all over Mumbai, even in the Mumbai Animal Sanctuary. Some of the people and places Maddox have interviewed for her vegan series include:

• Anita Dongre, Designer
• Monica Dogra, Musician
• Dia Mirza, Actress
• Nakuul Mehta, Actor
• Sneha Ullal, Actress & animal activist
• Darshana Muzumdar, Activist and member of Living Free, Pune
• Palak Mehta, founder, Vegan First
• Minali Gaba, Farmers’ Café 
• Vanika Choudhary, Sequel Café 
• Harish Shetty, Aharveda Cafe
• Café Birdsong

(L to R) Dr. Sara Siso, Varnika Choudhary, Parveen Dusanj-Bedi & Lauren Maddox

Maddox hopes that through this film, she will get more people to think about what’s on their plate and to see all animals, including farmed animals, as beings who feel pain and emotion.

“All animals have a soul… We must protect all farmed animals, who are sentient like all other beings, and are innocent - humans are the ones who fail them. We must 'Bear Witness' and get as close to the suffering as possible and not turn away.  We must display to people that hacked up meat under cellophane is both detrimental to our health when ingested, full of growth hormones and antibiotics and is dead energy and toxic to our health…. We must treat others as we would want to be treated, which includes all animals.”

Lauren Maddox, co-producer & host, Bear Witness

When Can I Watch It?

The documentary, a US-Canadian joint production between Angel Light Films and Pig Save films, is currently in the editing phase. It will be released in the US in late 2019, and will go forward to Netflix USA. Check back with us for updates!

Like this?

Read: Watch Dominion, A Film That Lifts The Lid On Animal Cruelty

Read more: Watch The Invasive Species - Part 1