WARSAW, 22 MAY 2024 – The film “Out of Sight, by the Forest” about the behind-the-scenes work of activist investigators is available online

The premiere of Fur Free Alliance’s member organization Otwarte Klatki new documentary film “Out of Sight, by the Forest” took place on 22 May at Warsaw’s Kinoteka. The film tells the story of the investigative activists, who expose the horrible conditions of fur farms in Poland and who fight for a fur farming ban in this country. The premiere was attended by many celebrities supporting the campaign. The film is now available online – it can be viewed at pozawidokiem.pl.

The film is the debut and the result of 3 years of work by director Nadina Dobrowolska, who decided to accompany the three main characters – Alex, Angelika, and Bogna – in their daily activities. They stand on the front line in the fight for the lives of more than 3 million animals – minks, foxes, and raccoons, which are killed every year on Polish fur farms.

As the promotional material says:

The documentary shows the behind-the-scenes activities of an investigative group, which for a decade has been exposing the scale of injustice and suffering that humans inflict on animals. Their goal is clear: to bring about a legislative ban on raising animals for fur in Poland. Bogna, Aleks, and Angelika encounter two formidable opponents on their way: the fur lobby and the bureaucracy. What does the work of an activist investigator look like? What else can be done to shake up decision-makers and the public? The task is difficult, and time plays a role. Each year is another lost existence. “Out of Sight, by the Forest” is a moving story about persistence and the fight for those who will not defend themselves.

The premiere of the film took place at Warsaw’s Kinoteka cinema. It was attended by people who support the work of Otwarte Klatki, including actresses Maja Ostaszewska, Julia Kamińska, and Zofia Jastrzębska, musicians Anna Wyszkoni, Kasia and Jacek Sienkiewicz (Kwiat Jabłoni), model and influencer Zuzanna Kołodziejczyk, and Martin Lewandowski, the chief of KSW (premiere mixed martial arts organization in Poland and one of the leading in Europe). Otwarte Klatki emphasize that this new form of media is another attempt to draw the attention of the public and decision-makers to the suffering of animals raised for fur and the inefficient system of control of farms and at the same time, an opportunity to share hope and the possibility of joint action for a ban on fur farming.

Bogna Wiltowska, Director of Investigations at Otwarte Klatki and the protagonist of the film, says:

“We have been fighting for animals suffering on fur farms for a very long time. The fur farming ban must be introduced in this term of the Parliament, the suffering of minks, foxes, and raccoon dogs must finally end in Poland. In June, MP Małgorzata Tracz is to submit a bill to the Sejm banning fur farming in Poland. It is high time to make fur history”.

The film is focused on showing the work of the protagonists, there aren’t many scenes of animals suffering. This way, the director Nadina Dobrowolska wanted to make it more accessible and easier to watch for the viewers who are more sensitive to animal cruelty.

The film is available for free viewing at pozawidokiem.pl/en with English subtitles.