Animalis Fabula
  • Animalis Fabula
    • Jobs
    • Volunteer
    • Ethos
    • About >
      • AniFab Rules
      • Covid Safety
    • Notes >
      • AniFab 22 Official Selections >
        • AniFab 22 Tickets
        • AniFab 22 Best Of Fest Monthly
        • AniFab 22 Jury
      • AniFab 21 >
        • AniFab Official Selection
        • Best of AniFab Winners
        • AniFab 2021 Austin LIVE Schedule
        • AniFab 2021 Jury
  • AniFab Movie Reviews
  • Contact
Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection Laurels

AniFab Official Selections '21

Cat Daddies - Feature Documentary - USA

8/29/2021

 
Picture
Da​vid Giovanni is living on the streets of New York, determined to stay together with his beloved cat Lucky. When he’s finally granted a spot in a transitional housing facility that accepts cats, the COVID-19 pandemic and a devastating medical diagnosis puts his future together with Lucky in doubt.
​
David’s journey is interspersed with portraits of other “cat dads” from all over the country and some of which struggle to navigate the unprecedented events of 2020 with their little furry friends. They include a group of firefighters, a stunt man, a truck driver, a Bay Area tech worker, a schoolteacher whose cat becomes a viral sensation, and an actor/Instagram influencer.
Picture
Director Mye Hoang
 These men couldn’t be more different, but they share an unconditional love of their beloved pets. CAT DADDIES is a refreshing and timely exploration of modern masculinity and the unlikely bond between man and cat.
Mye Hoang is a Los Angeles based producer and director. She was a producer on the award-winning noir thriller MAN FROM RENO (Best Feature at the LA Film Festival and Spirit Award Nominee 2015) as well as the narrative feature I WILL MAKE YOU MINE by Lynn Chen (SXSW 2020). She has directed several narrative short films that have screened at film festivals around the world. Her first narrative feature VIETTE, a Vietnamese American coming-of-age story, debuted in 2012 and screened dozens of film festivals, including the Asian American International Film Festival and Edinburgh Fringe Fest. She is also the founder and former Executive Director of the Asian Film Festival of Dallas, and former Artistic Director of the San Diego Asian Film Festival. She has a BA in Cinema from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX where she was born and raised. CAT DADDIES is her first documentary feature.
Picture
Picture
Director StatementWe all know the stereotype of the crazy cat lady. And many of us have that friend, the one with the Instagram feed dedicated exclusively to cats. Self-described “Crazy Cat People” are a force to be reckoned with -- a community that’s here to stay and has only grown stronger in the age of social media. I watched over the course of a few years as my husband transformed into a bona fide cat person after he rescued a stray. However, something else changed inside him -- something deeper. He seemed to grow into a softer, more patient and compassionate person. This inspired me to find more men who had undergone a similar transformation, and document their stories as a way to explore the modern male.
As I dug deeper on “Cat Instagram,” I discovered dozens of men who seemed to be living their best life with their feline companions. Their stories ran the gamut -- from firefighters in South Carolina who unapologetically dote on their “fire cat,” to an unhoused immigrant on the streets of New York who always puts the needs of his cat above his own. Many of the subjects are the very embodiment of the traditional definition of “manliness” -- the aforementioned firemen, a stuntman, a truck driver. All of them unapologetically dote on their beloved pets in a way that I found very touching.
I see CAT DADDIES as both a collective portrait as well as a time capsule, documenting a challenging year in which people desperately needed hope, relief, and healing. It may not convert everyone to love cats, but I hope seeing images of men caring for these little creatures wins over a few skeptics and becomes a catalyst for compassionate change in a time we need it the most.

AniFab judge's aggregate score is 8.4 out of 10 with one judge noting, "Cat Daddies have their voice now, and with Mye's cat-tastic profile, it will soon be a roar.  Who doesn't want to love these Cat Daddies?"

Picture

The Conservation Game - Feature Documentary - USA

8/17/2021

 
#AniFab Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection The Conservation Game
Set against the backdrop of a heated national debate on captive big cats in America, THE CONSERVATION GAME follows the story of Tim Harrison, an Ohio cop who stumbles upon a bombshell discovery while undercover at an exotic animal auction. He starts to suspect that America's top television celebrity conservationists may be secretly connected to the exotic pet trade.

What follows is a high-stakes game of cat and mouse, filled with lies, deception, and cover-ups. As his investigation leads deeper into the secret world of the big cat trade, Tim and his team take their fight to the halls of Congress, pressing lawmakers to pass federal legislation that would end the private breeding and exploitation of these endangered animals.
Michael Webber #AniFab Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection The Conservation Game
Director Michael Webber
​​But when opposition comes from an unexpected source, Tim is forced to face the demons of his own past, while wrestling with the consequences of exposing his childhood hero.
Michael Webber is an American motion picture producer/director who has produced numerous films for studios such as 20th Century Fox and Lionsgate. Webber is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has received the highest praise by top critics.
#AniFab judge's aggregate score for The Conservation Game is 9.4 out of 10 with one judge noting, "Super important to dig deeper into issues and ask questions no one wants asked.  Powerful, beautifully crafted. 2 thumbs up - Team AniFab is going to try to build our opening night premiere in Austin around this movie, The Conservation Game.  You're going to hear a great deal about this movie in the coming months.
#AniFab Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection The Conservation Game
#AniFab Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection The Conservation Game
#AniFab Animalis Fabula Film Festival Official Selection The Conservation Game
Picture

Seals and Sea Lions: Scoundrels or Scapegoats? - Short Documentary - USA

8/14/2021

 
Picture
Seals and sea lions have been blamed for causing fish population collapses and for keeping fish populations for recovering. Is the blame justified, or are they being scapegoated?

Mike has been a filmmaker for over 30 years.  He'sdDirected "Beneath the Plains: The Minuteman Missile on Alert," produced for the National Park Service. Worked as Senior Editor for Boston Productions for 19 years, making documentary films and immersive experiences for many American museums. Graduate of Emerson College, Boston and currently pursuing M.S. in Film and Media Studies at Arizona State University.
Picture
Director Mike Sullivan
#AniFab judge's aggregate score for Seals & Sea Lions is 6.1 out of 10 with this judge writing, "Interesting and meaningful presentation by an NGO.  Lot's of "Experts".  I do think it's important to hear all sides if possible in this type of presentation.  Or, at least make a diligent attempt.  It is not always possible - we understand."
Picture

The Legacy - Short Documentary - Mexico

8/13/2021

 
Picture
Watch The Lagacy right here, right now below
​"The Legacy",  narrated by Gerardo del Villar, shares his concern and proposal to conserve marine ecosystems and sharks, a passion inherited by his grandfather and his parents.

To Gerardo it is very important that his children and future generations enjoy healthy oceans and he knows that the best way to do this is by raising awareness and learning to love the species that live in them; who better than the whale shark to be the great teacher.

​
Directors: Gerardo del Villar & Alex Luke

#AniFab judge's aggregate score for The Legacy is 6.6 out of 10, with one judge remarking, "​The Legacy is a love letter from a father to his children."
​
Picture
Director Gerardo del Villar
Picture
Picture
Picture

BUZZKILL - Short Documentary - USA

8/1/2021

 
Picture
German pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG installs a mural about bees in the small Oakhurst section of Decatur, Georgia. What they hadn't bargained on was the community’s offshoot conversation and response about bees, murals, messages, ecology and angry allegations of `greenwashing.’

​
Director Statement
​​
I made this film in hopes that it will narrow the conversation about ecology, corporate messaging and community.  Co-existence is possible.
Picture
Director Ron Harris
AniFab judge's aggregate score for BUZZKILL is 6.4 out of 10 with one judge noting, "An important perspective on the buying of perception to deceive. More stories about Bee's need to be made. Nice job, Ron."
Picture
Picture
Picture

A Snail's Pace - Short Documentary - UK

8/1/2021

 
Picture
A Snail's Pace', Ian's first wildlife doc! But no commentary. No music. No explanations. Nothing to explain. Just observe. An observational wildlife doc! Presenting 'a snail's pace', my first film shot and edited on a smartphone. Filmed handheld. No tripod or gimbal. No additional lens. No external microphone. Edited on iphone's imovie app. Simple shots. Straight cuts. Capturing a moment, a movement, a journey. From Trivandrum in Kerala, South India during lockdown (May 2021). When my world shrunk to a house and garden. When time detached itself from the days. When the unnoticed became noticeable. When life calmed down. Like its main protagonist, 'a snail's pace' moves at a snail's pace. Presenting a challenge to the audience to keep pace with the intrepid snail. To slow down.
Picture
Director Ian McDonald
Director Statement
I had always been skeptical of the smartphone as a device for 'proper' documentary making. But being gifted an iPhone and languishing under lockdown in India (without my video camera) led to enforced experimentations in filming with the smartphone! I spend every morning on the verandah of my wife's family house in South India drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, and observing life around me: stray cats coming and going, crows excitedly crowing, ants marching, and if it has rained, snails, snails, snails. On one such morning, I saw a beautiful snail and decided impromptu to film it's journey. Without the smartphone, the journey would have been observed but not filmed. But the process of filming concentrated my mind on the snail and I saw my lockdown life mirrored in the snail's journey. Life had become solitary, slowed, methodical, precarious. I am also charmed by the fact that I can shoot, edit and upload the film to vimeo all from the phone itself. But is this 'proper' documentary filmmaking?
AniFab judge's aggregated score is 7.2 out of 10 with one judge sharing the following, "Thank you for experimenting Ian. Silver linings are everywhere, so hard to see sometimes.  Thank you for taking time to spend time with a snail and friends. Keep experimenting.
Picture
Picture

    2021 Official #AniFab Monthly  Selections

    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021

    ​Monthly Selection

    Animalis Fabula Film Festival official monthly selections have the opportunity to compete for monthly attention as well as inclusion in the annual live / virtual film festival in Austin, Texas and the end of year fundraising benefit for animal welfare.

    Find out what films have earned monthly awards for the Best Of Fest here!

    RSS Feed

Picture
Animalis Fabula Film Festival is a production of WA2S Films, World Animal Awareness Society and World Animal Rescue Network., an award-winning 501c3 United States based media non profit.
WA2S Family of Non Profit Organizations
Picture
  • Animalis Fabula
    • Jobs
    • Volunteer
    • Ethos
    • About >
      • AniFab Rules
      • Covid Safety
    • Notes >
      • AniFab 22 Official Selections >
        • AniFab 22 Tickets
        • AniFab 22 Best Of Fest Monthly
        • AniFab 22 Jury
      • AniFab 21 >
        • AniFab Official Selection
        • Best of AniFab Winners
        • AniFab 2021 Austin LIVE Schedule
        • AniFab 2021 Jury
  • AniFab Movie Reviews
  • Contact