The Witness – A Film Screening

Debra Feiman | February 26, 2010 | 0 Comments

How does a contractor from a tough Brooklyn neighborhood become an impassioned animal advocate? In the award-winning documentary THE WITNESS, Eddie Lama explains how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart, inspiring him to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. This moving film will be screened at the Mahopac Public Library on Sunday, March 6 at 2:00 pm; registration is requested. Working hard to overcome the many challenges of growing up in a poor and violent Brooklyn neighborhood, Eddie Lama developed a deep sense of identification with the vulnerable and voiceless beings of our world.

In one of the most moving sections of The Witness, he describes the harrowing experience of being beaten and left for dead, crying out for help and no one responding. Eddie then shares how this trauma helped him understand the plight of animals, who so often endure violence with no one to even witness their tragic fate, much less advocate on their behalf. With humor and sincerity, Eddie tells the story of his remarkable change in consciousness.

The Witness was produced by Tribe of Heart, a charitable non-profit organization that produces documentary films, along with outreach and educational programs, in service of a more just and compassionate future. Based in Ithaca, New York, the organization was founded in 2000 by Jenny Stein and James LaVeck, who work as director and producer respectively.

The Witness is the second in a series of documentary film screenings at the Mahopac Public Library. The theme of these films, Protect All Livings Creatures, brings the message of animal advocacy, animal rescue and animal rights to audiences in Putnam County. The series was initiated by Shanti Urreta, an educator and advocate of animal awareness and conscious eating.