The Last Pig

The Last Pig is a universal story that transcends culture, age and geography. It neither judges nor moralizes but simply nudges spectators to explore their own convictions and judge how far their actions are in line with them. I’d always wanted to make a film about the ethics of agriculture and its impact on livestock, but I’d never found an intimate new story until I read Bob’s.

I spoke about non-human beings for the first time about 30 years ago when I found out about the difficult situation of gorillas. And when I met an adult gorilla called Ivan that lived in a shopping mall in Washington state, I decided to speak out. Ivan was the catalyst that drove me to start making documentaries. Cinema is an extraordinarily effective tool for reaching people, especially in the digital world of today, so much so that it has become a vehicle for transmitting information and inspiring change. My first film, The Urban Gorilla, is fitting example: at the time it fueled decisive international protest against the conditions that numerous gorillas in captivity were forced to live.

Every time I set out to make a film, I have to learn a new language, or at least try to. Though animals don’t share our language, they are certainly capable of communicating. My job as a narrator is to help spectators understand these other beings, to transcend language and tell their stories. It’s a fantastic challenge and, to tell the truth, the part of my job that I like the best. I always try to enter the animals’ lives with sensibility and respect. Whether they are living in the wild or in cages, that’s their home and we are only visitors. If I sense that I’m causing them even the slightest bother, I immediately take a step backwards. And if that means giving up a project altogether, then so be it.