CHECKPOINT ZOO documents a daring rescue led by a rag-tag team of zookeepers and volunteers, who risked their lives to save thousands of animals trapped in a zoo behind enemy lines in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.
The Front Line
On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the worst war Europe has seen in over 50 years.
In the early days of the invasion, some of the fiercest fighting was on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine's 2nd largest city.
On one side was the advancing Russian Army.
On the other side, the defending Ukrainian Army.
And in between them was a Zoo… called Ecopark Feldman.
The Call For Help
Five weeks after the Invasion first began the Zoo’s founder, Oleksandr Feldman, posted a desperate plea to social media — the relentless shelling had left thousands of animals trapped in their cages with little food and food water, and only a few zookeepers left to care for them.
“Our biggest problem is now the large predators,” he pleaded. “Their enclosures have survived, but one more shelling, and the lions, bears, and tigers distraught with fear, might escape and head towards nearby villages. Unless we can find a safe place for them to go, our only option is to put them to sleep. It is unimaginably painful, but our priority must be the lives of our people.”
Mission Impossible
Miraculously, Oleksandr Feldman’s social media post went viral as Zoo from across Ukraine and Europe were suddenly calling with offers to house the remaining animals. More so, within 24 hours, a group of volunteers had appeared on Feldman’s doorstop offering to help any way they could.
And so, it was decided that this brave team of Zoo Keepers and volunteers would do the impossible — they would sneak into EcoPark, under the noses of the Russian camped nearby, risking life and limb, to evacuate over 1000 animals.
FILMMAKERS
Joshua Zeman
Director / Exec Producer
Joshua Zeman (Director & Exec Producer) is one of the leading voices in documentary storytelling. His critically-acclaimed film CROPSEY is considered one of the top true crime documentaries of all time. In 2017, Zeman directed THE KILLING SEASON, which was also executive produced by Academy Award-winning director Alex Gibney. Zeman also directed MURDER MOUNTAIN, a docu-series for Netflix that’s been called “a must-watch”. In 2020, Zeman EP’s and directed THE SONS OF SAM, which was the #1 watched show on Netflix around the world during the week it was released.
Most recently, Zeman directed THE LONELIEST WHALE, a cinematic quest to find the 52Hz Whale, whom scientists believe has spent its entire life in solitude. The film, which was executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, has been called “a modern-day Moby Dick" and was nominated for three Critics Choice Awards.
Zachary Mortensen
Producer
In his 25 years of producing documentary films, Zachary Mortensen (Executive Producer) has constantly traversed and defined genres. From the pioneering exploration of electronic music in Iara Lee’s MODULATIONS (Sundance 1997) and the definitive hip-hop retrospective of Joey Garfield’s BREATH CONTROL (Tribeca 2002) to the seminal true-crime horror documentary CROPSEY (Tribeca 2005) by Joshua Zeman, Mortensen has always sought out stories on the fringes and intersection of pop and contemporary culture.
His films have taken audiences into an evangelical megachurch’s Halloween spectacle (HELL HOUSE - Toronto 2002) and literally into the tub of a water-birth at the world-renowned natural birthing center on the Farm in Tennessee (BIRTH STORY - Los Angeles 2013). Access and insight are a constant throughout all his films, and he is constantly looking for collaborators that challenge the documentary establishment and shine a light on unexpected stories.
Zach is the co-founder of Ghost Robot, a New York City-based creative studio.