The Ghosts in Our Machine (2013)

A cinematic documentary that illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world.

Director:

Liz Marshall

Writer:

Liz Marshall

Stars:

Marcel Saba, Lori Reese, Perrie Wardell

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Marcel Saba	...	Self - Agent for Redux Pictures
Lori Reese	...	Self - Redux Pictures
Perrie Wardell	...	Self - Redux Pictures
Martin Rowe	...	Self - Co-Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, Lantern Books
Jasmin Singer	...	Self - Co-Founder and Executive Director, Our Hen House
Mariann Sullivan	...	Self - Co-Founder and Program Director, Our Hen House
Marcus	...	Self - Investigator
Susie Coston	...	Self - National Shelter Director, Farm Sanctuary
Melanie Dion-Eadon	...	Self - Maggie and Abbey's Guardians
Mark Eadon	...	Self - Maggie and Abbey's Guardians
James Wellford	...	Self - Photo Editor, Newsweek
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jonathan Balcombe	...	Self - Author, Humane Society University (voice)
Gieri Bolliger	...	Self - Attorney, Director of the Foundation for the Animal in the Law (voice) (as Dr. Gieri Bolliger)
Theodora Capaldo	...	Self - President and Executive Director, New England Anti-Vivisection Society (voice) (as Dr. Theodora Capaldo)
Bruce Friedrich	...	Self - Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives at Farm Sanctuary (voice)

Storyline

THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE illuminates the lives of individual animals living within and rescued from the machine of our modern world. Through the heart and photographic lens of animal rights photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur, audiences become intimately familiar with a cast of non-human animals. From undercover investigations to joyful rescue missions, in North America and in Europe, each photograph and story is a window into global animal industries: Food, Fashion, Entertainment and Research. THE GHOSTS IN OUR MACHINE charts McArthur's efforts to bring wider attention to a topic that most of humankind strives hard to avoid.

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Plot Keywords:

undercover investigation | animal rights | vegan | farm | animal sentience | 

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Taglines:

Are non-human animals property to be owned and used, or are they sentient beings deserving of rights?

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Crazy Credits

For the Ghosts

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Soundtracks

Give Up The Ghost
Written by Colin Greenwood, Jonny Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Phil Selway and Thom Yorke
Performed by Radiohead

User Reviews

Beautiful: See what a photographer does with her one wild and precious life

This beautifully told tale follows photographer Jo-Anne McArthur as she takes photos of individual animals used for entertainment, fashion, food, and research and seeks to bring her work to a wider audience.

It's the story of one woman following her calling and passion. She sees herself as a war photographer. She wants to save the world. Her work as a

McArthur's clear counterculture mission is animal liberation. The film follows her vision of animals as sentient beings who deserve to live their own lives for those lives' sake, not as as means to human ends. She documents animals' confinement and suffering.

It's an intriguing vision and watchable filled with gorgeous cinematography and many soulful eyes (sometimes filled with confusion and pain, but the film also shows images of animals at peace and pleasure).

This is director Liz Marshall's first animal rights film and she said after watching many other films in the genre she purposefully chose to steer away from more graphic images. It's often visually pleasing and even funny. Even so, it's overall effect is heart-wrenching.

Much of the film's power comes from its juxtaposition of images that contrast McArthur's conscious awareness of animal interests with the general disregard and commoditization of animals displayed in the dominant culture.

McArthur works to document and bring to light what industries take great pains to hide — the abuse of animals behind their products. She seeks to stimulate people's natural affinity with and compassion for animals to change these cruel systems.

Therefore, the film has a keen awareness of the animal origin (and the lives injured and cruel systems behind) products commonly seen and displayed while walking down a city street.

It's a perspective worth considering and a film worth watching.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Canada

Language:

English French Spanish German Portuguese

Release Date:

8 November 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

Duchy wielkiej machiny

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,756, 10 November 2013

Gross USA:

$20,709

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,709

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ghosts Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 57 min (TV) (2014)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color