| Dominion | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Chris Delforce |
| Written by | Chris Delforce |
| Produced by | Chris Delforce, Matthew Lynch, Farm Transparency Project |
| Narrated by | Joaquin Phoenix Rooney Mara Sadie Sink Sia Kat Von D |
| Edited by | Chris Delforce |
| Music by | Asher Pope |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Dominion is a 2018 Australiandocumentary film filmed primarily with drones andhidden cameras inside Australianslaughterhouses andmacro-farms with the aim to expose an opaque and inhumane system, according to the film's writer, director, and producer, Chris Delforce, ananimal rights activist.[1] The film documents multipleanimal abuse industries in Australia, especially agricultural livestock, while focusing its message on animal rights.[2][3][4]Dominion portrays the killing of animals through methods such as usingcarbon dioxide to gas pigs,maceration of chicks, andskinning foxes alive.[5][3][6]
Dominion was managed by the animal protection and animal rights organisation, Farm Transparency Project, previously known as Aussie Farms.[3] The film was funded through crowdfunding campaigns and the Australian animal rights organisationVoiceless.[3] It features narration by the famous actorsJoaquin Phoenix,Rooney Mara andSadie Sink, as well as the singerSia.[7] It premiered in Melbourne on 29 March 2018.[8] It was filmed to be a feature-length documentary sequel toLucent (2014), which mostly focused on the Australian pig farming industry.[9]
Following its release,Dominion received the award for Best Documentary Feature at the 2018 Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, and Delforce won Best Director at the Festigious International Film Festival.[3]Dominion has been used as a focal point forvegan protest groups, who encourage others to watch the documentary.[5]
Australian farmers have been critical of the film, seeing it as an "attack on Australian farming".[1] The Australian Meat Industry Council Chief Executive, Patrick Hutchinson, has said, "What the film shows is not representative of the practices of the wider industry",[9] whileFiona Simson, president of theNational Farmers' Federation, recognised that there was "room for improvement" by industry to improve animal welfare practices.[9]
There are also documentaries such as Earthlings (Monson 2005) and Dominion (Delforce 2018) that construct their shock tactics with the accumulation of footage of wanton cruelty and abuse in a number of industries (food, clothing, entertainment, tourism, the pharmaceutical and medical research industries, etc.).
