Skin Trade, The Dark World of Cruel, Painful, Unnecessary Fashion and Ugly Glamour
Warning: The fur industry does not want you to see this film.
The important and unforgettable documentary Skin Trade exposes the hard, cold truth behind the fur industry and the lies and corruption perpetrated by the industry to promote and sell fur. A year and a half in the making, this film takes the viewer on a journey from the birth of fur used for trading between Native Americans and Europeans, to the atrocities committed to animals today by the fur industry to make fur for the fashion industry. The film combines investigative footage inside fur farms along with hundreds of hours of interviews with industry workers, insiders, celebrities, historians, Native Americans, animal activists, fashion designers, leaders and experts—all who weigh in on one of the cruelest and most unnecessary forms of animal exploitation in existence.
This important film is directed by Shannon Keith, an animal rights attorney and founder of the nonprofit organization Animal Rescue, Media & Education (ARME), and director of the 2006 award-winning film, Behind the Mask, about the Animal Liberation Front.
Skin Trade lends a voice to the voiceless whose skin is ripped from their bodies while often still alive. We all have a choice – choose against buying and wearing cruel, unnecessary fur. We can all contribute to ending this brutal trade that so unconscionably abuses animals.
Quote from Film Director, Shannon Keith (during a presentation)
“Nothing can prepare you for what you see on a fur farm. The stench is overwhelming, the sound of the minks going psychologically crazy and screaming out and seeing them so frantic, we saw workers with bloody hands, you really can’t imagine how horrific fur farms are until you see one. Seeing the fur farm first-hand will change your perspective and your life.”
Film Length: 78 minutes
Film Released: 2009
Facts About Fur – From Animal Rescue Crusade
- More than 50 million animals are violently killed for use in fashion every year.
- Methods used to kill animals for their fur include gassing, electrocution, and neck breaking, and many are skinned alive.
- Animals are still alive and struggling desperately when workers flip them onto their backs or hang them up by their legs or tails to skin them.
- Workers stomp on the necks and heads of animals who struggle too hard.
- Foxes, minks, rabbits, raccoon-dogs (China) and other animals pace and shiver in outdoor above-ground hard wire cages, exposed to rain, freezing cold nights or the scorching sun.
- Mother animals are stressed and driven crazy from rough handling and intense confinement. They have nowhere to hide while giving birth and often kill their babies after delivering litters.
- Fur comes from animals who are factory-farmed or trapped purely for fashion.
- Millions of animals are killed simply to provide trimming effects for fashion, often termed in marketing “Faux Fur,” but often it’s real fur from dogs and cats in China.
- Purchasing the tiniest bit of fur trim supports the cruel fur industry.
- Currently, there are no federal laws providing protection for the millions of animals held in these factory-like farms.
- Baby seals are clubbed and brutally slain for their fur. The Canadian seal hunt is the world’s largest remaining commercial slaughters.
More About the Film
Visit the Website: http://www.skintradethemovie.com
Buy the DVD on Amazon
Video About Skin Trade: An Industry Without Conscience: A Documentary by Shannon Keith’s “Skin Trade”
Watch the presentation with film director Shannon Keith about the making of the film and her animal advocacy work.
Read and Learn More About the Fur Trade
5 Fur Facts The Will Break Your Heart
The Fur Industry, Animals Used For Clothing
China’s Shocking Dog and Cat Fur Trade
A Shocking Look Inside Chinese Fur Farms
Calls for Harvey Nichols to stop selling fur as film reveals horror
Ask Yourself the Question
Wearing fur doesn’t say “you’ve made it,” it does not say you’re successful, it is not a status symbol, but if you choose to wear fur it speaks volumes about you as a person. Buying and wearing fur is a symbol of violent, horrific, painful, unconscionable, unnecessary cruelty and brutal, barbaric death committed to an innocent animal and to millions of innocent animals — for money and ugly, painful, egocentric fashion. Ask yourself – Do you want to buy and wear animals skinned alive for fur? Do you want to buy cats and dogs raised for and skinned for fur? Is that what you stand for and represent and want to project? Is your ego for fashion worth doing that to every individual animal killed? What’s more important? Ask yourself.
AWARDS
- LA Movie Awards: 1st Place Best Documentary
- LA Movie Awards: 1st Place Best Director
- The Indie Festival Award of Merit: Feature Documentary
- 2010 Critical Animal Studies Awards: Critical Animal Studies Media of the Year
- Action on Film, International Film Festival: Official Selection
- San Francisco United Film Festival: Official Selection
- Earth Savers Institute: Gold Eco Certification
- Colorado Film Festival: Silver Award
- Los Angeles Reel Film Festival: Best Editing
- Los Angeles Reel Film Festival: Honorable Mention
- Yosemite Film Festival: Best Documentary
Film Credits
- Directed by: Shannon Keith
- Produced by: Shannon Keith, Sarah Stolar, Gene Blalock and John Feldmann
- Presented by Uncaged Films and the non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization Animal Rescue Media and Education (ARME).
Featuring
James Cromwell • Todd Oldham • Jorja Fox • John Salley • Rikki Rockett • Alexandra Paul • John Feldmann • Ingrid Newkirk • Rory Freedman • Joshua Katcher • Ashley Paige • Lacey Conner • and many others!
