Want to see a film from the Heart?
While Tribe of Heart may not yet be well known as a film company, its films have received praise at every screening. Fans of the documentaries made by Tribe of Heart range from nature-conservationists like Jane Goodall to celebrities like Alicia Silverstone.
There will be a screening of the company’s newest documentary, “Peaceable Kingdom” tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The film will be shown for free in classroom 451 of Sturm Hall, and refreshments will be provided.
“Peaceable Kingdom” is the second in Tribe of Heart’s documentary series called the “Animal People Anthology,” which will eventually include four films. The company describes both of the films in this anthology as “films about ordinary people making an extraordinary difference.” Kingdom tells the stories of four people and their involvement with large-scale factory farming.
The first is Harold Brown, a man raised on a beef farm in Michigan, who is haunted by memories of sending his beloved animals off to be slaughtered. Brown interacts with cows living on a rescue farm, and re-evaluates his relationships with these creatures.
The second story is that of Howard Lyman, a Montana cattle rancher whose experience with cancer creates a desire in him to “make things right.”
Finally, the documentary tells the story of Gene and Lorri Bauston, a couple who own the largest farm animal sanctuary in the United States, and who have worked to bring to light multiple agricultural practices considered cruel by many.
Tribe of Heart is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and distributing documentaries that “reveal some of the hidden injustices of our times.” James LaVeck & Jenny Stein founded the company in 1997.
There are three overreaching questions on which the organization is based, how to live at peace with others, how to live at peace with oneself and how to reconcile one’s life with one’s deepest values.
The goals of the company are to create awareness of oppression, against both humans and animals, as well as to facilitate change in order to create a “just society.”
The company’s are distributed mainly by volunteers, and have been shown around the world. These documentaries have been screened in local theaters, at universities and colleges, at high schools, in community centers and places of worship and have been aired on public television.
Tribe of Heart’s first film, “The Witness,” tells the story of New Yorker Eddie Lama. In the documentary, Lama reveals his childhood fear of animals, and the kitten that changed his mind. Lama’s adoption of the cat opened him to the plight of other animals, and turned him into an animal activist. He has since brought his message of compassion and kindness to the mean streets of New York. The film also contains Lama’s discoveries about dealings in the modern meat and fur industries.
For more information about Tribe of Heart, its films or mission, or to order their videos, visit the organization’s Web site at www.tribeofheart.org.
