{"id":95889,"date":"2025-10-01T01:18:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/95889\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T01:18:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T01:18:10","slug":"checkpoint-zoo-to-hit-vod-for-one-day-in-honor-of-world-animal-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/95889\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Checkpoint Zoo’ To Hit VOD For One Day In Honor Of World Animal Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE:<\/strong> Joshua Zeman<\/a>\u2019s Oscar-contending documentary Checkpoint Zoo<\/a> will become available to rent at home this Saturday to mark World Animal Day, Abramorama<\/a> and GATHR<\/a> announced today.<\/p>\n

\n\tUnder the special arrangement, the film documenting the heroic effort to rescue zoo animals stranded by the war in Ukraine will be available for viewing globally through the GATHR Direct To Audience Video-On-Demand platform for 24 hours only, with 20 percent of proceeds going to organizations that protect animals and the people that care for them.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe four nonprofits that will benefit from the one-day VOD release are Mercy For Animals, Not One More Vet, Feldman EcoPark, and International Fund for Animal Welfare. Feldman EcoPark, located in eastern Ukraine only a few kilometers from the Russian border, is where the dramatic events of Checkpoint Zoo take place. After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its peaceful neighbor in 2022, zoo workers and local volunteers rushed to save thousands of animals at imminent risk of annihilation from missile attacks and shelling.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"A<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA tapir gets a rubdown from a rescuer in \u2018Checkpoint Zoo\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAbramorama<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCheckpoint Zoo represents everything we believe in at Abramorama\u2014powerful storytelling that drives meaningful change,\u201d Abramorama CEO Karol Martesko-Fenster said in a statement. \u201cBy partnering with GATHR and the team behind the film for this special World Animal Day release, we\u2019re not only bringing this incredible story of courage and compassion directly to audiences nationwide, but we\u2019re also supporting the vital work of organizations that protect animals and the heroes who care for them every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe documentary is a production of Ghost Robot in association with Noah Media Group Limited and Appian Way \u2014 the company founded by Leonardo DiCaprio. Checkpoint Zoo is executive produced by Barry Smith, Catherine Quantschnigg, Gabriel Clarke, John McKenna, Bonamy Grimes, Shawn Singh, Jennifer Davisson, Phillip Watson, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is continuing its Oscar-qualifying run around the country, playing in more than two dozen markets.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"'Checkpoint<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Checkpoint Zoo\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAbramorama<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWar by definition is created to strip away our humanity,\u201d Zeman noted at a recent Q&A in Los Angeles. \u201cIn saving these animals, these people found their humanity again\u2026 It\u2019s not like you\u2019re saving other people. You\u2019re saving something that\u2019s completely innocent, and that gave them the bravery and the courage to do what they did [against] incredible odds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tZeman added, \u201cWe\u2019ve seen many films about war. We\u2019ve seen many films about the war in Ukraine. But when we look at this story through the eyes of animals, it just resonates differently. It hits differently\u2026 You can\u2019t even put your finger on it exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rescuers<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tRescuers tote an anesthetized lion in \u2018Checkpoint Zoo\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAbramorama<\/p>\n

\n\tFeldman EcoPark was founded by Ukrainian businessman and politician Oleksandr Feldman. Following the invasion, as the film shows, he worked with teams to transfer some of the animals to his home for temporary protection. Back at the EcoPark, rescuers had to anesthetize large animals and predators like lions and tigers to prepare them for evacuation to other zoos; they didn\u2019t lose a single animal in that delicate operation.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Producer<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tProducer Zachary Mortensen (left) and director Joshua Zeman attend the \u2018Checkpoint Zoo\u2019 premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 6, 2024 in New York City.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDominik Bindl\/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe good news is that animals are really adaptive,\u201d Zeman said at the Q&A. \u201cWhen I was there, very early in the game, animals were jumpy. They wouldn\u2019t eat; they\u2019re freaked out. And now a lot of those animals are doing quite well and they\u2019re returning to their original selves, much like people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDeep Dhillon, managing director at Mercy For Animals \u2013 one of the VOD release beneficiary organizations \u2014 said, \u201cThe courage of those in Checkpoint Zoo reflects the compassion we strive for every day, and we are thankful that this special release supports Mercy For Animals\u2019 ongoing work to create a kinder world for all animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCheckpoint Zoo reveals the extraordinary dedication of those who will sacrifice everything to protect animals\u2014an experience that resonates deeply with caregivers everywhere,\u201d commented Gina Papabeis, the film\u2019s lead impact producer. \u201cWe\u2019re proud that this special release window not only shares their story with a wider audience but also drives real-world impact for our NGO partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"'Checkpoint<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Checkpoint Zoo\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAbramorama<\/p>\n

\n\tCheckpoint Zoo has won numerous awards at festivals around the world, including two prizes at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Audience Award at Tribeca Festival. Zeman is taking the film to Ukraine this month for screenings in Kyiv and Kharkiv.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe tragedy is that we can\u2019t show the film in a theater because you\u2019re not allowed to show films in enclosed spaces because of fear of bombs,\u201d Zeman said.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis is the 100th anniversary of World Animal Day, an event launched by Heinrich Zimmermann in Berlin in 1925. The October 4th date coincides with the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Joshua Zeman\u2019s Oscar-contending documentary Checkpoint Zoo will become available to rent at home this Saturday to mark…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":95890,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263],"tags":[45542,61641,18,117,61642,19,17,61643,327],"class_list":{"0":"post-95889","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-abramorama","9":"tag-checkpoint-zoo","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-entertainment","12":"tag-gathr","13":"tag-ie","14":"tag-ireland","15":"tag-joshua-zeman","16":"tag-movies"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=95889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95889\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/95890"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=95889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=95889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=95889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}