Integritus Prime

I have friends and colleagues who work on vegan entertainment through documentaries and comedy shows. One of these stellar people is avid filmmaker, advisory board member of Alchemus Prime, and dear friend, Kamal S. Prasad. Kamal is a science educator, IT wizard, speaker, and activist. Let’s see what he’s been up to lately and why…

 

Marilyn: Kamal, the last time I interviewed you, it was for the release of Angry Vegan Sock Puppet, and I recall that project is part of a bigger plan to make vegan entertainment more mainstream. Tell us how you’ve progressed with this goal and why is it so important to you.

 

Kamal: I’ve set up a website (http://veganfilmmakers.org) with a a draft outline of the vision (I say “the” instead of “mine” because I want the final vision and mission statements to be a collaborative effort of the participants) to create a co-op of vegan filmmakers who work together to make films that appeal to mainstream audiences.

Making vegan entertainment that appeals to mainstream audiences is how veganism will break out of the bubble in which it currently resides. Most vegan films appeal only to vegans. There are some films that have themes that are vegan but people are not made aware of the connections. For example, the new Planet of the Apes franchise is an admonishment of animal experimentation but the message may get lost since it only deals with a small sub-species of animals who look more like us are the ones being experimented on. Okja, another excellent movie, focuses on farming of a fictional animal and while parallels exist between how Okja’s species is treated in the film to chickens, pigs and cows, it is never made explicit. Non-vegans who watch and enjoy the movie, and can empathize with Okja, but have been brought up in a culture that thinks farming chickens, pigs and cows is normal may not see that the personality and playfulness of Okja also exists in chickens, pigs, cows and other farmed animals.

 

Marilyn: I heard your film was selected for the Ottawa International Vegan Film Festival. Congrats! Tell us a bit about the film! What is it about and why is it important?

 

Kamal: Thank you! The short film (titled “Farmed Animal vs Human Population” and available on YouTube) that was selected for the Ottawa International Vegan Film Festival compares all the humans who have ever lived to the number of animals we breed and kill every year for human consumption. Many times, I’ve had well-meaning people tell me that human population is the real problem. What they don’t realize that humans, and our cities, roads, houses, etc. only use up about 1% of the total land area of our planet, whereas animal agriculture uses land that is equivalent to North and South America combined! If there is a population that needs to be controlled, it is the farmed animal population.

The places in the world (like Africa) where population is growing the fastest (although birth rates are in decline) eat largely a plant-based diet. It is the western influence (where populations are already stabilized or falling) that is driving up the demand for animal foods, which will only make the problem of land, water and fossil fuel use of animal agriculture more problematic in the future. A child born in the west will have an environmental footprint of 4-5 children born in the developing countries. Yes, human population will need to be addressed at some point but it isn’t the clear and present danger to the planet that some make it out to be. Our consumption, particularly our consumption of animals products, which requires inordinate amounts of resources is one of the biggest, if not the biggest problems.

 

Marilyn: Wow, thanks for that crucial insight. What does it mean to be selected?

 

Kamal: It is a great honor to be recognized for the film. I’ve been making shorts for a while and this is the first one to receive any sort of official recognition. It is a validation of what I’ve been doing with my films and encourages me to continue improving my skills and keeping making films to inspire people to change the world.

 

Marilyn: That’s awesome! What can we expect from you next?

 

Kamal: First, I need to finish editing the remainder of the footage we shot for the Angry Vegan Sock Puppet show. Once that is done, I will put most of my effort towards the feature documentary that I’ve been developing for a while that explores how the modern agricultural system affects people directly; from the farm workers, to the communities that border farms to large issues of land rights and world hunger.

 

Marilyn: Yes, I read the treatment for that – I think it’s a crucial topic that needs more in-depth coverage, because we often forget the damage meat production does to people. Thank you for working on that! Anything else you’d like to tell us?

 

If anyone knows of a producer who’d be interested in working with me, please let me know. 🙂

 

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So, folks, if you know a producer that might want to work with Kamal, please contact him directly at kamal@kamalprasad.com. If you’d like to learn more about the Angry Vegan Sock Puppet and experience her sass, follow her on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram and support her on Patreon.

And, if you like what you’re reading or have a suggestion for someone I could interview, contact me!