Who is the Bold Native?
Filed under: animal rights, filmmaking, video - filmmaking
Bold Native is the culmination of almost ten years of work by literally hundreds of people. It was conceived in the summer of 2001. It was shepherded through numerous drafts by Denis Henry Hennelly, Casey Suchan, Mary Pat Bentel, Jeff Bollman, Jessica Hagan, Todd Helbing, Ted Deiker, Jashub Absher, Danielle Lurie, Jimmy Franklin, Peter Alton, Goody-B Wiseman, and too many others to name here.
From the spark of its beginning to today, we’ve watched as terrorist attacks, oppressive government regimes, and draconian laws have radically changed the landscape of political and social protest in our country and the world. We’ve maintained a hope that we could create a film that spoke to the hopes and dreams of millions of compassionate people and the suffering of billions of non-human animals that have at every moment occupied our hearts and minds.
The film would not be possible without the generosity and kindness of everyone who gave their time and labor. The film is dedicated to you. And it’s dedicated to the brave, anonymous women and men who risk their freedom to give freedom to another. It’s dedicated to the individuals and groups who fight for legislative and social change, work to educate the public, and care for abused and rescued animals at farm sanctuaries. And it’s dedicated to the billions of animals who were never saved and whose brief time on our earth was filled with pain and sadness.
Finally, it’s dedicated to everyone who watches this trailer and says, “Yes.” Yes, the time has come to reject the notion that the saving of a life or the protest of an industry is terrorism or violence. Yes, there is something more important than our momentary pleasure or convenience. Yes, the lives we take have value and their interests, no matter how different from ours, deserve consideration.
Who is the Bold Native? Find out this summer.
Paradise Recovered
My friend Andie Redwine recently did two things I never would have expected. And I am enormously proud of her and humbled by both.
I went to high school with Andie. We co-wrote a column for the school paper called “Mo’ Better Bagels” in which we pontificated upon numerous subjects and generally raised questions regarding society, culture, and our sanity.
Andie grew up in a repressive religious environment, and as an adult she has dedicated much of her time to helping others who have escaped from cults. A few years ago she mentioned to me that she was interested in making a film about cult survivors. Living in LA, I’m surrounded by people who say they want to make a film. The vast majority of them never do. Andie does not live in LA. She lives in a rural southern Indiana community. She knew nothing about how to write a script or make a film. But she taught herself how to do both in the most efficient way possible… by doing it.
Here’s the trailer for the film she wrote and produced totally outside the Hollywood system, created solely by her passion and energy.
The second thing Andie did that I never expected was to go vegan. Her film is called Paradise Recovered. I think it’s worth noting that in Paradise (Eden), Adam and Eve were not consuming animals.
She recently wrote me and my business partner Casey a letter about her decision. She agreed to let us share it. It’s one of the more moving things I’ve ever read.
Dear Denis and Casey:
Despite the fact that I feel absolutely fantastic about not contributing to the deaths of animals and eating their pain and grief…and that should be enough there, right?…I want to share with you both the benefits of going completely vegan for 30 days. Completely vegan means no animal products with an emphasis on low fat and fiber. A lot has happened both physically and spiritually for me. It’s been pretty amazing.
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