Ananimalrights documentary narrated by Joaquin Phoenix played an unexpected role in a recent hostage negotiation in Ukraine.
A 44-year-old man named Maksym Kryvosh allegedly took control of a bus in Lutsk, Ukraine on Tuesday, holding thirteen people hostage. Armed with guns and at least one grenade, Kryvosh maintained a standoff with police for more than twelve hours. Among his demands was the bizarre request that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky publicly express support for the 2005 documentaryEarthlings, about “humankind’s total dependence on animals for economic purposes.”
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In addition to holding the hostages, Kryvosh told police he had placed an explosive device that he could detonate remotely in a public location. The police could neither confirm nor disprove this claim, deeming Kryvosh a genuine threat to public safety. Kryvosh apparently also forced the hostages to watchEarthlingsrepeatedly during their ordeal.
In an attempt to defuse the situation without further endangering the hostages, President Zelensky agreed to speak with Kryvosh on the phone. During the discussion, Zelensky agreed to promote the movie if Kryvosh would release three of the people on the bus: a pregnant woman, a child, and someone who was wounded. Shortly after Kryvosh complied with the request, President Zelensky posted a short video to his Facebook page, in which he said, “Everyone should watch the 2005 filmEarthlings.”
Satisfied with this declaration, Kryvosh released the rest of the hostages, unharmed, and surrendered to police. The video was swiftly removed from President Zelensky’s Facebook account.
When he accepted his Best Actor Oscar for his work inJoker, Phoenix, an outspoken animal rights activist, used his acceptance speech as an opportunity to discuss animal rights. During his speech he used cows as a poignant example of how humans exploit animals on a daily basis, saying,“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and cereal.”
