Sentient

In his directorial debut, veteran Australian journalist Tony Jones explores the moral, emotional and clinical questions – as well as answers – around why we still test on animals, and what it will take us to stop.

Dr Lisa Jones-Engel is a passionate primatologist who reflects, with a mix of sadness and horror, on her past work at the Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates. It was enough to turn her from animal tester to animal welfare advocate, as contemporary and archival footage – both personal and professional – relates. Through the perspectives of other frontline scientists discussing the fraught balance of human needs and animal rights, one compelling fact emerges: animal testing does psychological harm not just to its physical victims, but also to its human practitioners.

It was a conversation with ethicist Peter Singer that got long-time ABC journalist and former Q&A host Tony Jones thinking about the vast and confronting complexities of laboratory testing on animals. Now, going behind the camera for the first time, Jones investigates this secretive world responsible for so much suffering – but also for saving countless lives. While never easy, Sentient is vital viewing that’s bound to spark debate.

“Emotionally powerful … Jones’s rigorous approach to the subject means this is often a difficult watch, but the empathy towards the primates and their handlers shines through.” – Screen Daily

[Warning: contains graphic footage of animal testing that may cause distress.]

Content: Melbourne International Film Festival