Film / News
Ground-breaking guinea pig documentary returns by popular demand
The first major documentary about everybody’s favourite squeaky rodents certainly caught the public imagination when it was shown at Bristol’s Cinema De Lux a couple of weeks ago. So successful were the two screenings of The Keepers of the Pigs that it’s back at the same cinema, plus the Showcase Avonmeads, on Sunday 19 November. So if you missed it the first time round, now’s your chance to find out more about the forgotten history of these lovable critters.
The film follows the adventures of director Sharon Walia and rescue centre owner Shaz Kelly on their fact-finding journey from the UK to Peru.
The documentary came about after freelance journalist Sharon filmed a news report about a local guinea pig rescue in the midlands, which subsequently went viral. She then juggled her jobs as a journalist and in parliament to make the film, travelling to South America in between lockdowns and returning to edit the footage at home in the evenings.
is needed now More than ever
“As an animal lover and vegan, filming people eating guinea pigs was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done,” says Sharon. “But never have I been to a country that celebrates an animal like Peru does the guinea pig.”
The film includes footage of Peru’s annual guinea pig festival, which has never been filmed before. It also tells the story of a man who was buried in a guinea pig inspired coffin and explores the work of the UK’s two biggest guinea pig sanctuaries.
Go here for tickets.
All images: The Keepers of the Pigs
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