Shannon Keith
Encyclopedia
Shannon Keith is an American animal rights
lawyer, activist, and documentary director/producer. She is the director of the Animal Liberation Front
documentary, Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals
.
In later life, Keith became an animal rights activist, documentary film maker and animal rights lawyer. Animals are considered property, and she has striven to change that fact while defending animal rights activists in the courtroom, saving dogs condemned to death in Los Angeles, as well as prosecuting those who abuse animals.
Keith has represented a number of well-known animal-rights activists
and campaigns, including Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
(SHAC) and Kevin Kjonaas, the former president of SHAC USA, against Huntingdon Life Sciences
, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
She has saved dogs from being euthanized
in Los Angeles, and in 2000, she obtained the largest settlement against the City of Los Angeles for the beating to death of a dog by a city employee.
Circa 2002, Shannon began to challenge the media with her strong message in support of animal liberation actions and activists.
In 2004, Shannon started a non-profit, tax-exempt group called ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education). ARME rescues homeless animals and focuses on stopping the problem at its roots through educational initiatives, including making documentaries about animals and animal activists.
In 2006, after three years of filming, Keith released a documentary film
about the Animal Liberation Front
entitled Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals
. The documentary was produced in response to what the ALF sees as a growing bias within the mainstream media towards the animal rights movement
, both above and underground. Keith founded and runs Uncaged Films /ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), which produced the documentary.
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
lawyer, activist, and documentary director/producer. She is the director of the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
documentary, Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals
Behind the Mask (ALF)
Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front . It took three years of filming, interviewing, and editing to complete. The movie was created by animal-rights lawyer Shannon Keith, who owns Uncaged Films and...
.
Background
Keith grew up in Los Angeles, California, with a house full of animals. Ever since she was a small child, Shannon rescued injured and homeless animals and nursed them back to health or placed them in loving homes.In later life, Keith became an animal rights activist, documentary film maker and animal rights lawyer. Animals are considered property, and she has striven to change that fact while defending animal rights activists in the courtroom, saving dogs condemned to death in Los Angeles, as well as prosecuting those who abuse animals.
Keith has represented a number of well-known animal-rights activists
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
and campaigns, including Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty is an international animal rights campaign to close down Huntingdon Life Sciences , Europe's largest contract animal-testing laboratory. HLS tests medical and non-medical substances on around 75,000 animals every year, from rats to primates...
(SHAC) and Kevin Kjonaas, the former president of SHAC USA, against Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon Life Sciences
Huntingdon Life Sciences is a contract animal-testing company founded in 1952 in England, with facilities in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire; Eye, Suffolk; New Jersey in the U.S., and Japan...
, and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
She has saved dogs from being euthanized
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
in Los Angeles, and in 2000, she obtained the largest settlement against the City of Los Angeles for the beating to death of a dog by a city employee.
Circa 2002, Shannon began to challenge the media with her strong message in support of animal liberation actions and activists.
In 2004, Shannon started a non-profit, tax-exempt group called ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education). ARME rescues homeless animals and focuses on stopping the problem at its roots through educational initiatives, including making documentaries about animals and animal activists.
In 2006, after three years of filming, Keith released a documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the Animal Liberation Front
Animal Liberation Front
The Animal Liberation Front is an international, underground leaderless resistance that engages in illegal direct action in pursuit of animal liberation...
entitled Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals
Behind the Mask (ALF)
Behind the Mask: The Story Of The People Who Risk Everything To Save Animals is a 2006 documentary film about the Animal Liberation Front . It took three years of filming, interviewing, and editing to complete. The movie was created by animal-rights lawyer Shannon Keith, who owns Uncaged Films and...
. The documentary was produced in response to what the ALF sees as a growing bias within the mainstream media towards the animal rights movement
Animal liberation movement
The animal-liberation movement, sometimes called the animal-rights movement, animal personhood, or animal-advocacy movement, is a social movement which seeks an end to the rigid moral and legal distinction drawn between human and non-human animals, an end to the status of animals as property, and...
, both above and underground. Keith founded and runs Uncaged Films /ARME (Animal Rescue, Media & Education), which produced the documentary.
Personal Sites
- Animal Rights Lawyer
- Uncaged Films
- Animal Legislative Action Network
- ARME: Animal Rescue Media & Education