At this year's Toronto Film Festival, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists disrupted the debut of the animated documentary, 'Piece by Piece' for its depiction of fur and exotic skins.
This incident speaks to a larger issue, as the entertainment world has recently seen the increased use of fur in films - particularly in period productions. This has spurred many female actors to say they will not work if real fur is used in any film that are associated with. This has spread to studios as well, for example, Disney has banned the use of real fur in all of its TV and movie productions.
Currently, the vast majority of productions use faux fur or recycled fur, but some actors refuse even to wear fake fur in an effort to avoid glorifying it in any way which might entice purchases of real fur. "Even vintage fur risks normalizing the idea of wearing animals" says, Lauren Thomasson, Director of Animals in Film and TV at PETA.
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| A PETA anti-fur ad |
But others say not using fur removes the authenticity of the production. " I believe, in a film for adults, you can depict people in the past smoking, in the same way as you can depict people in the past wearing fur", says Sandy Powell, three-time Oscar winner for Best Costume Design.
I think there will continue to be tension between sensitivity and authenticity on this subject. Faux fur is ok to use especially in period productions, as is vintage real fur - as it already exists.
By: Jim Lavorato
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