UNLOCKING THE CAGE Premiere in Lisbon Bianca Santos1 Last week was an exceptional one for non-human animals, people who respect them and the city of Lisbon. After the European premiere, just five months ago in Barcelona, on the past 3rd of October, it was finally the turn of Lisbon to host the exhibition of Steven M. Wise's “Unlocking the Cage”. The storytelling documentary, from the directors Chris Hegedűs and D.A. Pennebaker, regards Professor Wise's pursuit on breaking the legal barriers that set apart non-human animals from the anthropocentric moral supremacy of human beings, by aiming for the recognition of personhood to obtain basic fundamental rights, such as bodily liberty, for cognitive complex animals such as cetaceans, elephants, birds, mammals, starting with the case of four chimpanzees held in captivity in New York. Steven Wise has said "I don't believe there's something extraordinarily exceptional about every human being. That they have something that allows them to be the masters of the world and all non-human animals are the slaves of the world." In order to honour World Animal Day, celebrated every year globally on the 4th of October, the Lisbon Municipality, represented by its Vice-President, Mr. Duarte Cordeiro, together with EGEAC (the Municipal Culture Management Enterprise) and the Lisbon Ombudswoman for Animals, Inês Sousa Real, organised and hosted the projection of the documentary Unlocking the Cage at São Jorge Cinema, for 250 people, completely free of charge. Besides premiering the exhilarating film, the event was also solidarity- oriented. During the afternoon and before the projection, animal protection organisations such as Animais de Rua, Animalife, Associação Zoófila Portuguesa, Liga Portuguesa dos Direitos dos Animais, Movimento de Esterilização dos Gatos de Lisboa and União Zoófila were able to advocate their work to the visiting public and fundraise for their causes at the cinema premises. 1 Lawyer, Alumni of the 4th Ed. of the Master in Animal Law and Society of the Universidad Autónoma of Barcelona Law School, Correspondent for Portugal of the website: www.derechoanimal. derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 1 Sandra Cóias, a portuguese model and actress, and the Animal Protection Ombudswoman presented the documentary of the New York lawyer and professor, Steven Wise, founder and President of the Nonhuman Rights Project - a civil rights organisation committed to change the legal status of more cognitively complex animals from things to persons through litigation - who spent the last 30 years seeking the great writ of habeas corpus for chimpanzees held in captivity, living unnatural lives. The Vice-President of the City Council spoke on behalf of the Lisbon Municipality that hosted the projection, in continuity of what has been the new animal welfare public policies followed by this Municipality, and reaffirmed the wish of Lisbon becoming a reference city regarding animal advocacy. Professor Steven Wise was not able to come to the Lisbon venue (he is at the moment appealing the case to a higher court) but he recorded a personal video, specially for the Portuguese public, that was broadcasted right before the documentary, sending out a message of hope and support to Portugal and pleading that the country takes the long-awaiting step to a proper legal status for animals. An emotional applause was inevitable at the end of the film by the enthusiastic public, despite the bitter-sweet unfinished outcome of the lawsuit. People felt inspired and motivated to continue the quest for animal protection, celebrating afterwards with a vegan chocolate cake and champagne, cheering for more non-human animal victories. As Wise alerts: “It's a hell of a war to fight but it's time to begin.” During the celebration, Inês Real stated that “there are at the moment several law proposals at the Portuguese Parliament in order to change animals' legal statute in the Civil Code, so this is a way of the legislator keeping in mind that our society has evolved and has been demanding for years the initiative of a greater protection for animals in Portugal”. Other than the animal protection organisations and personalities deeply involved in animal activism, the public included the first member of parliament from the PAN (Portuguese Party for Animal, People and Nature), André Silva, artists, law professors, lawyers, police authorities, private and municipal veterinarians, as well as AVAT (the portuguese veterinarian organisation against bullfighting recently constituted) deputies, psychologists, teachers and animal behaviour experts. Last but not least, the first three Portuguese students of the Master's Degree in Animal Law and Society of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Inês Real (3rd edition), myself (4th edition) and Jorge Sousa (5th edition) were present and recalled how privileged we were to have met Professor Steven Wise in person and have had such encouraging and fore-front lessons about making the unthinkable legally possible for non-human animals, while motivating the new Portuguese Master students, also present, on their way to the next edition. As Inês Real concluded "this was a unique derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 2 experience and it allowed us to work and globally change animal law, and this projection is proof of it, apart from the networking relationships achieved to change animals' reality in our the country.” And indeed it was! derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 3 derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 4 derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 5 derechoanimal.info Noviembre 2016 6 .