Zoo

Zoo is a film about the Miami Zoo, the care and maintenance of the animals by the keepers, the work of the veterinarians and their staff, and the visits to the zoo by people from all over the world. The film presents the wide diversity of interests and activities at the zoo and the interrelatedness of the animal, human, ethical, financial, technical, organizational, and research aspects of its operation.

“My intro to documentaries took place in the ’80s, when I saw 28 Up by Michael Apted on British TV. Later, Cabra Marcado Para Morrer by Eduardo Coutinho made a huge impression on me… It was only in the ’90s that I discovered Wiseman—Zoo was the first one at a film festival, then Hospital on an American VHS from the video library of an English teaching school. Gradually, through Wiseman, Coutinho, and Apted I came to understand that documentaries were just as strong as narrative cinema, even if the industry and audiences did not seem to agree. I have slowly caught up with a number of his films but still not quite grasping the magnitude of his full body of work, which is amazing and inspiring. Last year, I had the honour of sitting next to him at a roundtable at the NYFF, where I shared some ideas on making personal so-called documentaries, or maybe films about life and the societies we live in and under. Thank you, Mr. Wiseman.”

– Kleber Mendonça Filho