Cat killing film fury

[LiviaOlivia]

Sydney Morning Herald
Cat killing film fury
September 15, 2004 - 11:16AM


Animal rights activists hit out at the Toronto International Film Festival after organizers refused to ditch a documentary about notorious artists who taped themselves killing a cat.

"Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat" prompted threats to film festival organizers and a fierce debate on the limits of freedom of speech.

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"Casuistry", which means specious justifications, by Canadian filmmaker Zev Asher attempts to understand why three young artists in Toronto killed the cat in the name of art in 2001.

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Jesse Power, now aged 24, agreed to appear in the documentary and defended his actions."You like to eat meat? I am doing what you do," he says to camera about the fate of Kensington, christened posthumously by animal rights campaigners. His justifications for his actions get more and more extreme: "I was bored out of my head", "my parents were atheists", and "I can't explain myself". After their arrest, the three young men became a cause celebre in the art world. "I never got to eat this cat, but a lot of other people are feasting off it," Power said in the movie.

link:http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/15/1094927622899.html?oneclick=true#