women as meat... Pc director vs pc animal right activists row over naked women used for propaganda
Peta's use of nude models fuels row with UK film-maker
Peta in row with UK film-maker Victor Schonfeld, who wants £470,000 for using film footage without consent
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guardian.co.uk, Sunday 24 October 2010 18.46 BST
• Article history
Peta is involved in a £470,000 row with UK film-maker Victor Shonfeld. Photograph: Sylvia Linares/FilmMagic
The use of naked models and actresses to highlight animal cruelty is at the heart of a dispute between high-profile activists that could end in court.
American group Peta – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals – has locked horns with British film-maker Victor Schonfeld over the former's alleged use of some of the latter's footage.
Peta and Schonfeld appear to have a lot in common. Both abhor animal cruelty and both have used "video nasties" to shock an often apathetic public into confronting difficult truths about fur, factory farming and scientific research over the last three decades.
But despite their shared goal, they are at odds over undercover footage highlighting some of the most unpalatable examples of animal cruelty. Peta has been threatened with a lawsuit in the UK by Schonfeld, a film-maker credited with raising public awareness of animal exploitation with the critically acclaimed The Animals Film, first released in 1982 and shown on Channel 4 in its launch week.
The issue at the nub of the case, it would appear, is less animal exploitation and more the alleged exploitation of the human female form. Schonfeld has been a big critic of Peta's "sexualised" campaigns to promote animal awareness – including a current poster featuring one-time Baywatch star Pamela Anderson.
The director claims secretly shot footage used in his film, co-directed by Myriam Alaux, has been exploited by Peta.
He says it has used clips illustrating practices such as beaks being removed from chickens in their own harrowing internet videos and films without copyright consent.
Had Peta asked for permission, it is unlikely it would have been granted by Schonfeld.
In a legal letter to the organisation on behalf of Schonfeld, Peta is reportedly told: "Our client would have been very reluctant to grant a licence to your client, Peta Inc, given Mr Schonfeld's well publicised views about Peta and its sexualised efforts to attract publicity." The letter, obtained by the Hollywood Reporter, added: "In the circumstances, had it been prepared to grant a licence, it would have charged a substantial premium."
It is understood Schonfeld, whose London company Beyond the Frame is the rights holder, wants £470,000 – a calculation based on the licence fees charged by top independent film companies of between £50,000 and £100,000 per minute for worldwide internet rights.
Peta is hitting back. "The lawsuit claims are egregious and we have always been willing to compensate filmmakers fairly, but this filmmaker seems to have an axe to grind," it said in a statement to the Guardian.
Peta, which employs 300 people and has attracted more than 2 million supporters worldwide, is now seeking a declaratory judgment in California that it has not infringed copyright.
The lawsuit threat was sparked by the latest Peta release, Glass Walls, narrated by Paul McCartney.
But Schonfeld is also understood to be upset about footage used on Peta's internet videos, as well as in its 2007 TV film I am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and Peta, about the British-born founder of the organisation.
Peta has often been forced to defend its use of naked woman. Its most recent recruits include Anderson, US comedy actor Olivia Munn and model Christy Turlington.
Its famous "State of the Union Undress" campaign featured a woman talking about animal cruelty while disrobing and its "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign was illustrated with several high-profile women in the nude.
Schonfeld has been openly critical of such tactics, once saying: "One of the world's largest animal rights organisations routinely employs naked young women, including porn stars, to chase mass media attention. Would a human rights organisation stoop so low?"
The Animals Film generated frontpage media coverage when Channel 4, which broadcast it during its first week on air in 1982, cut seven minutes footage after the Independent Broadcasting Authority ruled certain scenes could "incite crime or lead to civil disorder".
Answering critics, Newkirk has been unashamed of Peta's "press sluts" status, arguing the group was not using women's bodies, but that women were using their own bodies to promote awareness.
The organisation has said: "Our activists and celebrity supporters gladly use their bodies as a surefire way to draw attention to how animals are exploited."
It is understood an offer from Peta to Beyond the Frame of £8,000 was rejected and Peta's US legal team have instructed lawyers in the UK. Schonfeld was unavailable for comment.
