D.A. Pennebaker & Chris Hegedus Talk Stony Brook University's Chimp Trial on SOUNDS with Tom Needham

SOUNDS

Acclaimed filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker are guests on Tom Needham’s SOUNDS Podcast. They will discuss their documentary, “Unlocking the Cage,” which follows animal-rights attorney Steven M. Wise in his efforts to persuade the legal system to recognize chimpanzees as legal persons.

“Unlocking the Cage” highlights Wise’s argument that cognitively advanced animals such as chimpanzees and dolphins should be regarded as self-aware, autonomous beings. The film chronicles a landmark legal battle in which Wise and his team aim to change the status of a chimpanzee from a “thing” with no rights to a “person” with legal protections. Stony Brook University, a focal point in this high-profile international case, was targeted by Wise due to its use of chimpanzees for laboratory research. “Unlocking the Cage” is available on DVD through First Run Features.

Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker are among the most celebrated documentary filmmakers in the world, famous for their distinctive cinema-verité style, capturing their subjects through handheld camera work. Their wide-ranging documentaries cover topics such as music and politics, with some of their most iconic films including “The War Room,” “Monterey Pop,” “Don’t Look Back,” “Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,” “Startup.com,” and “Kings of Pastry.” In 2013, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored D.A. Pennebaker with an Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.