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The Factory Files are a curated library of everything the industry would prefer you never engaged with. Documentaries, investigations, books, films, and organisations on the front lines.
Earthlings (2005)
Using hidden cameras and never-before-seen footage, Earthlings chronicles the day-to-day practices of the largest industries in the world, all of which rely entirely on animals for profit. Imdb link Release date: 24 September 2005 Director: Shaun Monson Narrator: Joaquin Phoenix Producers: Shaun Monson, Persia White, Nicole Visram, Maggie Q Running time: 1h 35m Music: Moby; Libra Max; Brian Carter; Natalie Merchant; Gabriel Mounsey; Barry Wood
Okja (2017)
A young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja. Imdb link Release date: 28 June 2017 Director: Bong Joon Ho Screenplay: Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson Running time: 2 hours Trivia Okja's design was based on the face of a manatee and the body of a hippopotamus. The hippopotamus-like design was specifically chosen as a reference to the infamous 1910 "Hippo Bill," which proposed the idea of Am
Humane World for Animals
International (HQ: United States) · Founded 1954 Formerly Humane Society of the United States / Humane Society International https://www.humaneworld.org/en The institutional heavyweight of animal welfare, rebranded in 2023. Less radical than PETA , more embedded in legislative corridors and corporate boardrooms. They run animal sanctuaries (including Black Beauty Ranch), coordinate disaster response, and push policy at the federal level. They are the "suit-and-tie" wing of th
Forks Over Knives (2011)
Researchers explore the possibility that people changing their diets from animal-based to plant-based can help eliminate or control diseases like cancer and diabetes. The premise was to create the "reverse" of Super Size Me - where the director "goes on this diet and gets better, instead of getting fatter and sicker." Imdb link Release date: 6 May 2011 Director: Lee Fulkerson Producers: Brian Wendel, John Corry Distributed by: Monica Beach Media Running time: 1h 36m
Animal Rights: A Very Short Introduction
David DeGrazia • 2002 Animal Rights is designed to give intelligent non-specialists a foothold in complex fields. It is a concise, balanced, academically rigorous overview of the major positions, arguments, and counterarguments in animal rights theory. No advocacy, no pleading, just a clearly mapped overview. Context DeGrazia is elegantly neutral here. Wanna see him let loose? Read Taking Animals Seriously . Brace yourself...
Blackfish (2013)
A documentary following the controversial captivity of killer whales, and its dangers for both humans and whales. Blackfish is arguably the most culturally impactful animal documentary of the 2010s. SeaWorld's stock cratered. Legislation changed. It proved documentaries can win. Imdb link Release date: 19 July 2013 Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite Screenplay: Gabriela Cowperthwaite, Eli B. Despres Production companies: Manny O Productions, CNN Films Producers: Gabriela Cowpe
Cowspiracy (2014)
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability. Imdb link Release date: 26 June 2014 Directors: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn Producers: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn Running time: 1h 31m
Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat
By Hal Herzog • 2010 An anthrozoologist examines the messy, contradictory ways humans relate to animals. Why do we lavish affection on dogs while eating pigs of equal intelligence? Why do some cultures revere cows while others farm them industrially? Herzog observes, surveys, interviews, and reports. The book is less interested in telling you what's right than in showing you how inconsistent everyone is. Why it matters This is the book for someone who isn't ready to be argued
Animal Law: Welfare Interests and Rights
By David Favre • 1983 (2019, 3rd edition) The law school casebook for animal law. Favre (who has taught animal law at Michigan State for over forty years) assembles cases, statutes, and essay materials that expose how the legal system actually treats animals: as property, with limited and inconsistent protections. The book covers anti-cruelty laws, the Federal Animal Welfare Act, constitutional issues, wildlife regulation, and the emerging attempts to secure legal rights for
The Vegan Starter Kit
By Dr. Neal Barnard • 2018 A short, practical guide to plant-based eating from the founder of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Barnard covers the health case for plant-based diets, basic nutrition, meal planning, and common concerns (protein, B12, iron). No philosophy or graphic descriptions, just straightforward guidance for anyone ready to make the switch. Why it matters Not everyone needs a 400-page ethical treatise. Some people are already convinced and
Animal Law in a Nutshell
By Sonia Waisman, Pamela Frasch & Katherine Hessler • 2020 (3rd edition) A compact but comprehensive overview of how the law actually treats animals: property doctrine, anti-cruelty statutes, wildlife regulations, agricultural exemptions, and the emerging frontier of animal rights litigation. Written by three professors from Lewis & Clark Law School's Center for Animal Law Studies, it's designed for law students and interested non-lawyers alike. Why it matters Most people ass
Beating Hearts: Abortion and Animal Rights
By Sherry Colb & Michael Dorf • 2016 A legal scholar and a constitutional law professor tackle one of the most fraught intersections in ethics: what do abortion rights and animal rights have to do with each other? Colb and Dorf argue that the same moral reasoning that supports abortion rights (bodily autonomy and sentience as the basis for moral consideration) also supports animal rights. Why it matters This book is useful for anyone who wants to think rigorously about cross-
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