This film is part of Free
Strange Playmates
Monkeying around? Mankind's closest relative gets to grips with the idea of pets
Overview
It's tricky to see too much hard science in this 'experiment' to discover "whether a chimpanzee is 'human' enough" to befriend a dog or a cat. And this Topical Budget newsreel report doesn't reveal much about the objectives, the parameters or even the experimenters. Judging by what we see here, though, the results were mixed at best. Regardless, long before Sir David Attenborough was around to explain animal behaviour to us, fleeting little lessons like this one were always in demand.
Related
On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.
Layla - Exclusive Q&A Layla - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 27 mins
Writer, director and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi talks to Rico Johnson-Sinclair about their debut feature.
All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
Documentary 2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.