THE CASE OF CRUELTY TO PRAWNS

Ben Lewin (whose Welcome to Britain was shown in the 1976 Festival) made a lighthearted television comedy from an actual court case in Scotland, which attracted attention from newspapers ranging from The Times of Malta to the Buenos Aires Herald.

The film revolves around Sheila, a 16-year-old girl who works in a factory in Scotland, decapitating prawns. One day, bored with the drudgery of her job, she throws a few prawns on a hot-plate and watches them fry to death. The RSPCA hears about this and Sheila is prosecuted for cruelty to animals. The question then to be decided is are prawns animals?