Film director defends hoax hunt violence
A Bath film-maker has stirred up controversy with a new movie about hunting.
His balaclava-clad men wielding weapons to threaten revenge on the hunting community appeared to be the next chilling step in the ongoing war between animal rights extremists and the country sports fraternity.
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But the Real Animal League, with a bloodthirsty website and violent video clips, are actually a fictional new animal extremist group, ‘set up’ ahead of a controversial new feature film made by director Ed Boase.
The film, called Blooded, has sparked outrage in the hunt scene, with threats made to stop its first ever screening at a film festival last week.
But Mr Boase, from Bath, said no one marketing the film had claimed it was real, and both sides in the often violent conflict had been taken in by an effective ‘viral’ marketing campaign.
The film purports to be a documentary about an ‘incident’ in 2005 where five rich young hunters were kidnapped, stripped and abandoned on the Isle of Mull in Scotland.
It mixes interviews with the survivors with reconstructions showing how they were ‘hunted’ by balaclava-wearing members of the Real Animal League, who did it to show the hunters ‘what it was like to be running for their lives’.
Its marketing team set up a website and a Youtube channel for the fictitious league, which boasted of what they had ‘done’ back in 2005.
Mr Boase said the real-life Animal Liberation Front appeared to initially fall for the stunt, re-posting the RAL statements as a ‘call to arms’.
“Since then, the film has been the subject of a massive controversy in the world of animal rights extremism and pro-hunting extremism, and I’m surprised,” he said.
“The whole marketing for it has been very effective, but people are complaining and making threats, when no one has really yet seen the film.
“The idea wasn’t to hoax people, just to get people talking about the film. It is intended to be a balanced debate on the issues of the politics of extremism,” added Mr Boase.
10 Comments
by Roger (the cabin boy), below deck
Wednesday, March 30 2011, 1:40PM
“ha ha ha ha!
Jack "Hunting and killing is a perfectly normal thing for ALL creatures of this planet..."
I must have missed the documentary when Atteborough focused Elephants that go hunting! I did see the one where Rhinos hunt... no... no i didn't actually!
ALL animals hunt?!?!?! what a doosh!”
by Tracie, Suffolk
Wednesday, March 30 2011, 1:37PM
“Typical deluded and 'ignorance is bliss' attitude there Jack, Wellow. Quite happy to slaughter each other? That may be for you but funny enough most of us have gone up the evolutionary scale a few more notches. Hunting was (and still is believe it or not) banned because it is deemed cruel. Hunters hunt not out of necessity or for what they'd like you to believe, animal welfare or conservation, but because they enjoy it - so in my book if you enjoy killing then that makes you an unreliable and quite frankly a dangerous person. Move on, hunting belongs in the history books along with bair-baiting, burning witches at the stake or putting little children up chimneys!”
by Lisa Price, Lancashire
Wednesday, March 30 2011, 1:23PM
“@ Jack,Wellow-you say "Hunting and killing is a perfectly normal thing for ALL creatures of this planet including us little beings!" you are right,except for the fact that hunting is a 'sport' where only one side know the rules and that is man. Animals hunt for food-not for fun,there is a big difference. Man has persecuted the animal kingdom in his quest for their fur,meat and head over a mantlepiece and by every thing in between. We say that such a thing needs to be culled when in reality it is the chase and the kill at the end that these people enjoy. Seeing dogs far outnumbering a fox, rip it into pieces is not my idea of fun. Watching a bull crippled in a spectacle of 'fighting' is not my idea of fun. I think you need to spend an hour or two looking at the abuse of some animals by man 'for fun' and I'd be interested in your opinion after that.”
by Toby, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 11:45PM
“If cruelty to animals is normal and acceptable then why were all the poor man's blood sports outlawed several generations ago?”
by Jack, Wellow
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 10:18PM
“Hunting and killing is a perfectly normal thing for ALL creatures of this planet including us little beings! Why ALL the fuss? We are quite happy to slaughter each other enmass so whats the problem with hunting/chasing fox, rabbit, hare, deer, birds etc?
IF by chance you are against it! Hows it working out for you so far?”
by Abandon Ship!, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 10:00PM
“Vanessa, empathy is fine but please don't morally equate deliberate violence against humans with fox hunting, which was my point. Indeed, it very often seems that members of the ALF and related organisations are the bloodthirsty ones.”
by Vanessa, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 9:18PM
“Andrew S, you're trotting out those Lame Claims I've heard about!
1) "Humans have hunted for food for tens of thousands of years". Foxhunting, badgerbaiting, deer hunting and all those other bloodsports involve no hunting for food, even if that were an acceptable reason to kill animals.
2) "Humans have hunted animals for pleasure for tens of thousands of years". Just because it has always happened, doesn't make it right. That was exactly one of the reasons wheeled out by the pro-slavery brigade. If traditions were always upheld, women would still not have the vote.
Abandon Ship! Why on earth can't we be encouraged to empathise with our fellow creatures who are terrorised in the name of sport by bloodthirsty individuals?
If anyone is interested in supporting the anti-bloodsports campaign there are a number of groups such as the League Against Cruel Sports or my favourite - the Save Me campaign, founded by Dr Brian May (save-me.org.uk)”
by Andrew S, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 6:02PM
“"I reckon i've got the answer to any pro hunt views - it's a barbaric blood sport which has no place in a sophisticated modern world!"
You are of course living in your own little world! You have your own answer to that question, don't assume it's the only one.
Humans have hunted animals for food and indeed pleasure for tens of thousands of years.
I don't personally care for it myself, and have no wish to partake, but I'm not going to condemn anyone as a bloodthirsty savage.”
by All Aboard!, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 2:51PM
“I reckon i've got the answer to any pro hunt views - it's a barbaric blood sport which has no place in a sophisticated modern world!”
by Abandon Ship!, Bath
Tuesday, March 29 2011, 8:44AM
“What on earth is "pro-hunting extremism"?
Here again we have a film direrctor implying that deliberate acts of violence against humans is the moral equivalence of fox hunting.
I have no problem with the film, this is a free country, but please don't let him get away with any pretence of a "balanced debate", moral equivalence nonsense.”