On Film: Man Saves Duck, Duck Saves Man

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PHILADELPHIA - A new film is getting high praise from the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, Farm Sanctuary, for standing up for ducks and for voicing their opposition to foie gras. Nic Bettaur's film, DUCK, starring Philip Baker Hall, premieres August 24 at Ritz 5 Movies in Philadelphia.

PHILADELPHIA - A new film is getting high praise from the nation's leading farm animal protection organization, Farm Sanctuary, for standing up for ducks and for voicing their opposition to foie gras. Nic Bettaur's film, DUCK, starring Philip Baker Hall, premieres August 24 at Ritz 5 Movies in Philadelphia.


The film is the story of a retired, widowed professor befriended by a duck in need of a pond. As the story develops, the movie reveals the complex and empathetic relationship between humans and animals. DUCK is a story of hope and survival with the resounding and irrefutable message that all life must be respected.


"I have to believe that if people would allow themselves to be educated as to what foie gras truly entails, which is difficult, I know, most would stop consuming it cold." Director Nic Bettaur said. "So too, if people were sensitized as to just how cool and copacetic ducks are, the thought of eating their force-fed, fatty livers should be frankly unthinkable." Philip Baker Hall puts it simply, "I have never eaten foie gras, and the prospect does not hold any interest for me."


"I loved the message of the film," said Farm Sanctuary President Gene Baur, "It really shows the public what it's like to have a relationship with a so-called 'food animal' that's not based on cruelty or commodification. This is an especially important film right now, when people worldwide are calling for foie gras to be banned." He added, "DUCK exemplifies the message of compassion and interconnection that have been at the center of Farm Sanctuary's work for over twenty years."


Ducks used in foie gras production are de-beaked, de-toed and forced to live in confinement in filthy, poorly-maintained cages or pens, and have a nutritionally incomplete gruel pumped down their throats through a metal pipe several times a day. This force feeding is known to cause bruising, lacerations, sores, ruptures, and even death. It also creates the grossly oversized and diseased "fatty liver" for which foie gras is named. Gasping, vomiting and struggling to move, the birds endure this process every day at the end of their short lives.


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About Farm Sanctuary


Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at http://www.farmsanctuary.org/ or by calling 607-583-2225.


Source: Farm Sanctuary


To learn more about DUCK visit http://www.duckthemovie.com/ to learn more about foie gras visit http://www.nofoiegras.org/.