With the official world premiere of this latest vegan documentary set to take place in New York City on March 5th, VEGWORLD Magazine was delighted to attend last night’s pre-screening for the film in Dallas. This documentary, A Prayer for Compassion, seeks to explore the connection between religion and veganism.
In this film, filmmaker Thomas Jackson sets out on a journey that, among other places, crisscrosses America and takes him to Morocco for the United Nations Climate Change Conference and throughout the Indian subcontinent. The overlying question the film addresses is: “Can compassion grow to include all beings? Can people who identify as religious or spiritual come to embrace the call to include all human and non-human beings in our circle of respect and caring and love?” According to Main Street Vegan, whose production team has joined forces with Jackson, this film calls on people of faith and spiritual seekers of every stripe to come together to bring about a world in which “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.”
The feature-length film has been recognized by LIVEKINDLY as one of the “21 Must-Watch Vegan Documentaries in 2019.” Additionally, the film team has partnered with Million Dollar Vegan, who recently announced that they will contribute a $1 million donation to the charity of Pope Francis should he decide to go vegan for Lent.
Reflecting on the film, we must say that this documentary is truly eye-opening. While the film Dominion also touched on the biblical commands to care for animals, Compassion takes it to the next level. It does so through interviews of religious and spiritual leaders from many different groups in an effort to understand what the future may bring when people of all walks of faith evaluate their roles in the current situation.
While many vegan documentaries call into question why an intelligent species is destroying their environment, this film questions why a kind, spiritual species would inflict so much pain on another species in the name of taste-bud gratification. Footage of current factory farm practices prompts questioning of what must occur for a package of meat to arrive at the grocery store. Moreover, this film sets itself apart by evaluating the situation in terms of whether any god could bless the current pain and suffering that are inflicted on thousands of animals every hour of the day. Profound insights are abundant throughout the film, and viewers will walk away contemplating this new perspective on animal advocacy.
We were fortunate enough to sit down with the film’s producer, the amazing Victoria Moran, after the show. Stay tuned for great video coverage of our interview, coming soon along with this inspirational and profound film. For those of you in the NYC area, we urge you to make plans to attend.
Watch the trailer here: https://aprayerforcompassion.com/
Follow them at: https://www.instagram.com/compassionmovie/
