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Producer Alison Reid and Dr. Anne Innis Dagg!
Producer Alison Reid and Dr. Anne Innis Dagg!
Paul Zimic and Alison Reid are the producers of the new documentary THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES is screening at The Newport Beach FF ABOUT
Our award-winning film is about a trailblazing scientist who overcame every obstacle she faced on her pioneering journey to study giraffes in South Africa in the ’50’s - but was unable to overcome gender discrimination in academia. This is the uplifting story of her re-discovery.
They just won Best Documentary and the Audience Award at the Sonoma International FF and the Audience Award at the Sebastopol Documentary FF.
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes - Trailer
The Woman Who Loves Giraffes - Website
TheWomanWhoLovesGiraffes.com
Twitter.com/AnneDaggMovie
– Poignant documentary about pioneering zoologist, women’s activist,
and author Dr. Anne Innis Dagg –
“…fine storytelling, combining ecology and social-justice issues while focusing on a woman ahead of her times” – Toronto Star
“A must-see doc about one of Canada’s greatest scientists” – POV Magazine
(Anne Innis Dagg and giraffe at Brookfield Zoo, Chicago 2016. Photo: Elaisa Vargas)
TORONTO (April 2, 2019) – Following a successful theatrical run and sold-out film festival screenings across Canada –the critically acclaimed feature documentary THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES bowed at the Sonoma International Film Festival taking home Best Documentary Feature and the Audience Award for Best Documentary. Just prior to winning these awards, the filmmakers signed an exclusive distribution agreement with leading worldwide distributer, Off the Fence.
THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES re-traces the trail-blazing journey of Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, who in 1956, at only 23 years old, became the first person in the world to scientifically research the behaviour of an animal in the wilds of Africa, four years before Jane Goodall ventured into the world of chimpanzees and seven years before Dian Fossey left to work with mountain gorillas. The documentary offers an intimate account of her life as a young woman through personal correspondence and original 16mm film, juxtaposed with a first-hand look at the devastating reality that giraffes are facing today.
The film explores the insurmountable barriers Dagg faced as a female biologist whose research findings ultimately became the foundation for many scientists following in her footsteps. Though her pioneering efforts were groundbreaking, upon her return to Canada, her career as a professor was destroyed when she applied for tenure at the University of Guelph in the 1970s and was denied. It was the catalyst that transformed Dagg into a feminist activist.
The film’s impact on audiences led to the University issuing a rare apology to Dagg last month, delivered by Dr. Jonathan Newman, Dean of the College of Biological Science (CBS), which “recognized and confronted errors of the past” and confirmed that the University of Guelph has become a “more respectful, diverse, and equitable place to work” since that time. Dr. Newman announced the creation of the Dr. Anne Innis Dagg Summer Research Scholarship in “recognition of her pioneering research on, and significant contributions to, the study of giraffe,” to be awarded annually to one female undergraduate student majoring in either Zoology or Biodoversity.
The exclusive worldwide distribution deal was negotiated by the film’s Executive Producer, Paul Zimic and Off the Fence Head of Acquisitions, Loren Syer-Willoughby. Off the Fence will launch the film at the upcoming MIPTV market in Cannes later this month. Syer-Willoughby says, "We have been tracking this project for quite some time now. The overall story was a perfect fit for Off the Fence. The team worked so hard to deliver such a beautiful documentary with not only heart, humour but also a strong conservation message. Anne Dagg is an absolute inspiration, which I think will resonate with audiences around the world. Her pioneering work in the early days of giraffe research makes her one of the key players we will always turn to when we think of giraffes. "
THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES is directed and written by Alison Reid and produced by Joanne Jackson and Alison Reid. Executive Producer is Paul Zimic. The documentary features the voices of Tatiana Maslany, Victor Garber, David Chinchilla, and Lindsay Leese who read letters written by young Anne, Anne’s husband, Ian Dagg, and Anne’s mother, Mary Quayle Innis.
The film was made with the participation of Ontario Creates Film Fund, Telefilm Canada and the Rogers Group of Funds through the Theatrical Documentary Program, the Rogers Documentary Fund, KinoSmith Inc., and Rogers Telefund. It is a Bell Media/Crave Original Documentary.
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
For more information on the film, please visit The Woman Who Loves Giraffes or contact Paul Zimic, Executive Producer, (paul@grindstonemedia.ca)
For more information on Off the Fence, please visit Off the Fence or contact Loren Syer-Willoughby, Head of Acquisitions, (info@offthefence.com)
