Why donkeys are the darlings of this awards season

With donkeys having their moment in the spotlight, thanks to award-winning films like The Banshees of Inisherin and the upcoming EO, The Donkey Sanctuary highlights why these engaging creatures are capturing hearts worldwide with their enduring appeal as one of the UK’s favourite animals*.

In his acceptance speech for best actor at the Golden Globes, Colin Farrell received the loudest applause when he paid tribute to his charismatic co-star, Jenny, a miniature donkey who plays the role of his best friend in the Irish movie. While she may be done with the film business, Jenny’s legacy is a film hotly tipped for Oscars success.

Likewise, Polish film director Jerzy Skolimowski gave thanks above all to the six donkey actors he worked with on his movie EO, which took home the Jury Prize in Cannes last year and is released in the UK on 3 February. The film is shot entirely from the perspective of the title character and tells the poignant story of the donkey’s journey through the hands of different owners, some who treat him well and others who do not.

The overwhelming affection and admiration the film industry is pouring on these creatures is something many here in the UK can relate to – The Donkey Sanctuary would not be able to help millions of donkeys around the world and the communities that depend upon them, if it were not for the deep affection they stir in their supporters.

However, all too often donkeys are perceived as stoic and stubborn – beasts of burden who, since Shakespeare’s time and likely long before, have been ridiculed as figures of fun – to be laughed at, sometimes pitied but never taken seriously as the sensitive and highly intelligent animals they actually are.

The Donkey Sanctuary’s Animal Behaviourist Ben Hart explains: “The donkey’s stoic nature, minimal body language and natural propensity to freeze when threatened or frightened, combined with a reluctance to put themselves at risk, results in donkeys commonly being mislabelled as stupid or stubborn. I believe anyone that calls a donkey stupid, has simply been outsmarted by one!”

This year might at last prove to be the year of the donkey and a time to change perceptions. Donkeys are having their moment not just on the big screen – 2023 also sees the rollout of the long-awaited donkey emoji. However, the guide on Emojipedia for a donkey denoting ‘pack animal’ but also ‘someone stubborn’ suggests we still have some way to go.

Faith Burden, Executive Director of Equine Operations at The Donkey Sanctuary, has welcomed the success of these two movies because it represents a significant shift in the way donkeys are portrayed. She said: “The film EO is beautifully shot and offers a rare opportunity to view the world from a donkey’s perspective. The portrayal and billing of the donkey as the central character clearly demonstrates the filmmaker’s deep appreciation of these emotional and highly intelligent animals.”

Faith also pointed out: “Although we were not involved in the making of either feature film, we welcome the opportunity they afford to correct public misconceptions about donkeys, which can result in their ill treatment.”

While EO and The Banshees of Inisherin are a celebration of donkeys and their special relationship with humans, they also expose their vulnerability and some of the many and varied challenges donkeys face all over the world as innocent animals often exploited and abused by humans.

Many people will be shocked to discover that around five million donkeys are brutally slaughtered every year to produce ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine made from donkey skins.

With China’s own domestic donkey population decimated, the ejiao industry is now turning to countries around the world to meet their demand for skins. In doing so it has created a global trade network, which operates largely unregulated, posing a serious risk of global zoonotic disease outbreak and depriving communities of the donkeys that are so vital to their livelihoods.

The Donkey Sanctuary has created its own short animated film Innocent Lives to raise awareness of what’s happening and its campaign to bring to an end to this cruel and inhumane trade.

Campaigning for an end to the skin trade is just one element of The Donkey Sanctuary’s efforts to improve the lives of donkeys everywhere, through advocacy, legislation, research and education. Closer to home, the real donkeys of Inisherin – on the Isle of Inis Mor where the film was made – are just a few of the animals in remote places to benefit from the charity’s outreach.

Faith said: “While we do not encourage the use of donkeys purely for entertainment, we do appreciate that films featuring donkeys can be used to educate, inform and advocate on their behalf.

“In recognising and celebrating the intrinsic value of donkeys, we hope these poignant films will elevate the status of donkeys in the eyes of the public and give them the recognition and status they deserve.”

While the awards season may be short lived, the appeal of these two films and their endearing protagonists promises to endure, long after the final curtain has come down.