About ‘Gulf Livestock 1 – The Voyage’

( New Zealand Film)

“A tragic story that deserves to be told. And important lessons to learn for the future”

Tim Sanders

Producer

The Fellowship of the Ring, Whale Rider”

A deeply compelling full length feature film drama based on the horrific live animal export tragedy of 2020, where almost 6000 pregnant cows along with 43 human crew (leaving only 1 survivor, and one other crew member who was  later rescued, but died)  plummeted to their watery grave when the ‘Gulf Livestock 1’ enroute to China, capsized off the coast of Japan, after leaving Napier Port, in New Zealand.

The live export vessel was reported to have previously failed its inspection – in fact it was reported to be “little more than a rust bucket” that would “tip over with the first big wave” (New Zealand Herald ). The Herald also reported that the Gulf Livestock 1 had a history of engine problems. During a voyage in July 2019, the vessel had drifted for 25 hours while undergoing repairs following an engine failure. (Reference:  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/hawkes-bay-today/new…)

While the New Zealand government has chosen to sweep this tragedy under the carpet, we must not let the demise of almost 6000 innocent cows and 43 human crew to have been in vain.

Woven into a full length feature drama, Gulf Livestock 1 – The Voyage follows the last terrifying hours of their harrowing journey, before they met their fate.

As the lifeless bodies of thousands of gentle, terrified cows who boarded that vessel, along with  their 41 human crew lay at the the bottom of the  ocean floor (all but forgotten by our government)  although they infer that they will ban this horrid  trade in 2 years, however there is little faith this will actually happen.

We MUST bring their story to life, a story that deserves to be told to honor their lives. 

Woven into a full length feature drama  that not only follows the last terrifying  hours of their harrowing journey and final hours at sea, but also their final moments, including  text messages sent to loved ones as they met their final fate.

With a total of 43 crew on board ( leaving only one survivor)  four of the young crew, included two New Zealanders  and  two Australian crew –  who had made their very first maiden voyage….And whose families are still grieving  today. We would also like to honor their families, who received no apology whatsoever from the New Zealand government. 

This powerful full length drama  reveals a surprising twist toward the end the film,  where human rights are now looking in the eyes of our animal kingdom, and feeling now their same vulnerability, in terms of human lives exploited and torn apart by greed and the corruption of power and anthropocentricism at its all time worst.

Please watch the news broadcast of the tragedy here: 

As a film maker for the past 15 years, I can assure you I am deeply driven and passionate to bring this film to life!  With your support – I sincerely believe this film will be a history changer of the 21st century and may even create a paradigm shift in how we treat our most vulnerable animals and people.

The Journey begins – We are now filming, with lots of passion but no funding!

As this film has been burning in me since I first heard the chilling news of this tragedy,  this is not only a labor of love to do the film, but it feels at the deepest level like a moral obligation to tell this tragic story .

As the director and Producer, I am happy to donate my time to this film – however, I have a stream of talented music composers, actors, and film crew whose time and skill into this film needs to be honored.

As you can imagine most films at this level require hundreds of thousands ( if not millions) to bring to fruition, however we are prepared to still deliver the most quality ( 1hour, 30 minute film) film we can produce within the budget we are seeking, to at least realistically pay the skilled people involved in this film.

The biggest cost and challenge of all, is going to be the cost of filming at Kumeu studio, based in Auckland ( around 35k) for the ship capsize scene, which we plan to film as realistically  as possible to truly honor, the very real terrifying and harrowing journey of all on board that ship, so that we can bring to the viewer, the rawness and reality of their final journey.

With your support this is what we will be able to achieve!

• The untold story of 5,835 cows and 43 human crew will finally be brought to life!
• This release of this powerful film will put pressure on the government and campaign strongly for a complete BAN of this horrific and cruel industry.
• It SHOULD be a moral obligation that this story of their last and harrowing journey is finally told, and for the world to know the TRUTH.

Thank you to each and everyone of you who support this film –  for honoring and bringing justice to the almost 6000 lives – because without your support, their story can never be told!

Please also read this hauntingly beautiful poem

( by Monika Arya)

Our Watery Grave

You wanted to drown us in our

 blood

slit our throats

 slash our hearts

skin blowtorched

Except

 we slipped from your heinous

 hands

like satin sand

 into a watery grave

Took our unborn babies too –

 didn’t trust them with you

 anyway

 Our sucklings

 you’ve never failed to yank

away

 Now You can’t eat us

 You can’t steal from us

 But

 at the razor sharp edge of your

 life

 you will meet us

 Essence to essence

Raw, exposed, bare, stark,

Contrite

 No barriers of form

 No servile ear tags

 No ludicrous inky marks

 No pretence of being the supreme species

 You’ve proved nothing more

 than

an axe-wielding invader in the

Anthropocene

 Be ready with the answers

 The answers you always

 evade It’s time —

Truth

 and only truth shall pervade

The diabolic Live-Export ship

 is wrecked

 Our bloodied bodies have

 sunk kissing the cold dark ocean

floor

 Our swollen bodies have

 Settled

 sleepily on the warm breezy

sunny shores

Here

they will decay

the stench of the innocent

victims

will envelope your day

 We are not going to let you

Forget

 the brutal betrayal that we’ve

 met

 at the hand of the civilised,

brandishing a primitive sword

 etched – Heartless

 Inhuman!

Be repulsed!

 You’ve robbed us of our pulse

 You were going to drown us

in our blood?

-Monika Arya