Documentary about zoo animal rescuers available online on Oct. 4

The Checkpoint Zoo documentary by U.S. filmmaker Joshua Zeman will be available for online screening worldwide on Oct. 4 in honor of World Animal Day, the filmmakers told Deadline.

The Ukrainian World Congress is an informational partner for the project.

“Under 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,” the announcement said.

The film tells the story of the evacuation of more than 5,000 animals from Kharkiv’s Feldman Ecopark during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It premiered in the U.S. on Aug. 15. Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson served as producers on the film’s production.

“In the early days of the invasion, some of the fiercest fighting was on the outskirts of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-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 Feldman Ecopark,” the film synopsis explains.

Ukrainian organizations in the U.S. can also apply to host screenings of the film in their communities.

Applications can be submitted via this link. Screening schedules in U.S. theaters are available here. All sessions will include public discussions and question-and-answer sessions.