Volker Sommer – I am an Ape

On the basis of the apes' amazingly similar intelligence levels to humans and their capacity for suffering, Sommer opposes not only medical experiments, but also claims that apes should be attributed the status of "people". Such equal status before the law would also award them the right to life and freedom from torture. Sommer combines strict scientific research with ambitious ethical reflections, which are educational in the best sense of the term. By way of example, he verifies same-sex sexual behaviour in the animal kingdom and rebuts the argument that homosexuality "goes against nature".

The film shows a free, radical researcher, who came from a religious background but has grown to be an enlightened educator; a thinker who also communicates actively with the public out of ethical responsibility; a protector of nature – and a philosopher who invites us to respect life in all its different forms and to celebrate its diversity.