The short documentary film 73 Cows has won the “Best Overall Film Award” and the “Best Lifestyle Film” award out of the 29 movies screened at the first-ever Ottawa International Vegan Film Festival (OIVFF) on Sunday.
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alex Lockwood, 73 Cows provides snippets from the journey of Jay Wilde, the “first farmer in the UK to trade beef farming for sustainable organic vegan farming,” as he and his wife Katja undergo the unheard-of transition.
The reason for the change? Wilde became “friends” with the cows, realizing that each has their own unique personality. Wilde said he could no longer cope with the ethical dilemma of continuing the family beef farming business. Instead of living with the guilt, Wilde makes the decision to give custody of his cows to a sanctuary and he and his family transition to organic farming instead.
The 15-minute documentary premiered at the Raindance Film Festival, received a nomination for “Best Local Film” at the Birmingham Film Festival, and trended on video platform Vimeo upon upload.
“Having set out to make the film with no budget and a team of four, we’re absolutely delighted that ’73 Cows’ is being received in the way that it is,” said Lockwood in a statement where he thanked OIVFFfor honoring him with the award. “A huge personal thanks to Jay and Katja (and the cows) is in order, as without them being as accommodating as they were, we wouldn’t have been able to make this film.”
The OIVFF jury had high praise for the film, stating: “73 Cows is a beautiful and moving film that traces Jay’s journey through the changes he never expected. It is an exquisite meditation about the bond between man and beast, and a profound portrait of a man awakening to the call of conscience, compassion, and courage.”
Other winners include “Promises,” a six-minute Danish documentary that follows vegan photographer Jo-Anne McArthur and director Jan Sorgenfrei as they investigate the industrial chicken industry, which won Best Animal Welfare Film. Eating You Alive won Best Health and Nutrition Film, and “Where Do We Go?,” a short documentary where director Reza Mejlesi shows how pollution is affecting the natural ecosystems and human residents of Northern Iran.
The OIVFF was founded and directed by festival organizer Shawn Stratton with the mission of celebrating vegan ideals and inspiring people to adopt healthier, eco-friendly, and compassionate lifestyles.
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if every human looked into their soul
a world of compassion would
make them whole.
the joy of reaching that
higher plane
putting the e in human
is to be
humane
if every humans looked into their soul
a world of compassion would
make them whole.
the joy of reaching that
higher plane
putting the e in human
is to be
humane
USDA: 4 million calves die yearly in US. Why do you still breastfeed? From another species?
...because least harm is always better than harm. You don't kill/consume/wear/use animals because you honestly believe that NOT killing/consuming/wearing/using animals is INhumane or UNethical.
Not abusing animals doesn't make human animals sick. Plant-based diets are superior.
Pretend abusing, harming, and killing is "humane"; people love to define others' suffering in manners that comforts the humans who cause the suffering.
If you're triggered by being a decent human, then you've been successfully indoctrinated.
Artist Jackson Thilenius
USDA: 4 million calves die yearly in US
A mother ... abused and violated, her babies stolen. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Kill.
Veterinary neglect is common to all farms visited. Animals that suffer from innumerable health problems are not treated for reasons of economic profitability. / October, 2019. Castilla la Mancha.
...because older animals cost more to "maintain" and their flesh isn't as "profitable".
Not for the planet, not for health, but because humans have no right to use, steal from, and destroy their families and bodies.
We Animals Media
The only time they'll not be enslaved in these metal contraptions is when being forced to their slaughter.
Calves taken from their mothers and forcibly impregnated or killed so humans can take their biologically-intended milk instead.
Your updated anag death industry deception-euphemism: CAFOs use less land than "small farms" in terms of number of animals who exist on them.
1916: Mary the Elephant hung for being a non-human animal. 2023: trillions of animals are butchered yearly, globally, it's all related.
The death industry will have you believe that more room is UNhealthy.
Our Compass 
if every humans looked into their soul
a world of compassion would
make them whole.
the joy of reaching that
higher plane
putting the e in human
is to be
humane
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This is wonderful, hon, I absolutely love it, thank you so much. ❤
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Informative and hopeful. Animals deserve compassion not heartless exploitation. Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
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