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Transfarming Switzerland

What happens when farmers have a change of heart?

A We Animals Media short film directed by Thomas Machowicz and Sabina Diethelm.

“Transfarming Switzerland” documents one animal activist’s ​unconventional approach: to work with – not against – animal farmers. Sarah Heiligtag transforms ​animal farms into vegan farms and animal sanctuaries across Switzerland and neighboring countries.

It is the farmers themselves who, because of growing moral concerns, come to struggle with raising and slaughtering their animals to earn a living. Looking to make a drastic change in their business, these conflicted animal farmers learn about Sarah, make contact with her and together they develop a plan to transform.

These changes are challenging both practically and emotionally: the farmers must adapt infrastructure and finances, but also defy deep-rooted farming practices and family traditions. Despite this, Sarah has transformed more than 100 farms to date, proving to many within the farming industry that change and progress are possible for those who seek a different relationship with animals.

  • Thomas Machowicz
    Director
  • Sabina Diethelm
    Director
  • Thomas Machowicz
    Writer
  • Sabina Diethelm
    Writer
  • We Animals Media
    Producer
    Moving Animals, Invisible, The Farm in my Backyard, Monbiot, Promises
  • Sarah Heiligtag
    Key Cast
  • Claudia Troxler
    Key Cast
  • Beat Troxler
    Key Cast
  • Fabienne Meier
    Key Cast
  • Thomas Reinhard
    Key Cast
  • Corinne Hadorn
    Key Cast
  • Selina Blaser
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Environment, Animals, Future of Food, Farming, Change & Progress
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 30, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    4,619 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Canada
  • Country of Filming:
    Switzerland
  • Language:
    English, Swiss German
  • Shooting Format:
    H.264 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Thomas Machowicz, Sabina Diethelm

Thomas Machowicz is a documentary photographer and filmmaker focusing on animal rescue efforts and social issues. He is working on a long-term project, Sanctuary, which documents animals and the people who rescue them. This project has taken him all over the world, including the Russian war in Ukraine.

Thomas considers himself a conduit for stories meant to raise the consciousness of humanity and uses photography, film, lectures and workshops as tools to explore and share the human experience. He also offers yoga and meditation in photography mentorships.

Thomas' work has been published by BBC News, Vox, The Arizona Republic, The Raw Society and We Animals Media. He is a Pro Member of The Raw Society and a regular contributor to We Animals Media. His work has been also featured in multiple animal rights campaigns.

Sabina Diethelm is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Winterthur, Switzerland. Thanks to her experience as a journalist, editor, and more recently as a documentary photographer, she is an expert storyteller but this is the first time she has co-produced a film - the subject matter of which is very close to her heart.

Sabina is a Member Pro of The Raw Society and her work has been exhibited at photoSCHWEIZ twice and published in several publications, including Tagblatt, SWISS Magazine and Fujilove Magazine.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

American filmmaker Thomas Machowicz, Swiss photographer and journalist Sabina Diethelm and the Canadian founder of We Animals Media, Jo-Anne McArthur, met at the International Festival of Photojournalism in Perpignan, France in 2021. An inspiring encounter that would lead to a fruitful collaboration; Thomas had been documenting people rescuing animals all over the world already, and when we learned about Sarah Heiligtag, a Swiss activist who not only rescues animals but also transforms entire farms across Switzerland into vegan farms and sanctuaries, we were eager to bring her story and work to a wider audience, as it is an unprecedented and visionary approach.

On assignment with We Animals Media, we spent a week accompanying Sarah to different egg, dairy and beef farms that are in different stages of “transfarming” their farms into vegan farms and sanctuaries. It is the farmers themselves, who produce milk, eggs and meat for the population, who often can no longer cope with the system and are looking for a way out of animal farming.

Although we both lived a vegan lifestyle already, during filming we gained a much deeper insight into what is so problematic about the animal agriculture industry—for the animals, the environment and the farmers themselves.

With her inspiring personality and groundbreaking work, Sarah shows that positive change is possible. This is a story about hope and a future with more sustainable agriculture and less suffering for animals.