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Last year, news of a young cow escaping slaughter in New York City hit the headlines. The nine-month-old calf, who was later named Stacy, ran away from a Queens abattoir, before ending up in a public park.
It seems like an unlikely event. But Stacy isn’t alone. In 2017, a cow in Poland rammed a fence and swam away to an island. In 2021, a cow in Brazil escaped a slaughterhouse and ended up in a water park. All of the escapees were spared from slaughter.
Now, production company Antimae Film wants to bring the story of a runaway cow to the big screen in a new live-action called Matilda.
Directed by Marc Pierschel (who also directed award-winning Butenland and The End of Meat), Matilda is set in England. It follows the story of a young aspiring chef named Anna who stumbles across an escaped cow (Matilda) in the forest and joins together with animal rights activists to fight for her rescue.
A key problem for Anna, however, is her meat-eating family, and her relationship with her father, who works in a slaughterhouse.
Call for Kickstarter funding
“Matilda is a film that moves between resignation and activism,” says producer Steffi Koehler in a video on Kickstarter. “Anna takes us on a journey through the emotional worlds of a young woman who assumes responsibility for another living being.”
“Matilda creates new role models and shows a different perspective on our treatment of animals, our environment, and empowerment.”
Antimae Film hopes to start production on the film next year and is aiming for a 2024 world premiere.
But to bring this poignant, hard-hitting, and thought-provoking story to life, Antimae Film needs funding. Right now, it has raised more than £21,000, but it must hit a target of more than £42,000.
