About this project

Catskill Animal Sanctuary (http://casanctuary.org) is a safe haven for abused and neglected farm animals. These beautiful creatures are rescued from starvation, abandonment, and all too often from fraudulent sanctuaries -- animal hoarders masquerading as rescuers -- across the US in an effort to give them something they've never known, a loving home.

One visit to this place and people feel an instant connection to the love that animals provide. At CAS, one instantly understands that we're all here on this earth to live together. This is exactly the emotion we want to capture on film.

The documentary will highlight the spirit and energy of the people who run the Sanctuary, feature its Director and Founder Kathy Stevens (http://kathystevenscas.com) during an actual animal rescue operation, and share the stories of some of the animals that call CAS their home. We'll follow Ms. Stevens animal rescue journey with the animals, learn about the history of CAS, discover what animal welfare for farm animals across the US is really like, and learn more about what each of us can do to help these beautifully gentle creatures.

One of the key sets of animals we'd like to feature in the movie are Rambo and Hannah, two sheep, and Barbie, a hen who (to Hannah's chagrin) occasionally climbs atop Rambo's back for a nap. Their relationship as friends illustrates a perfect example of how animals are more like humans than most of us want to realize.

We're planning to shoot on a Canon 7D camera which is excellent for shooting footage like this and also for being able to take still shots throughout the process of making the documentary. Kickstarter money will go towards covering the cost of this camera, some lighting equipment, microphones, and perhaps also a hidden camera to do the exposé style recording during an actual animal rescue operation. Money left over will be used to help pay for professional editing of the documentary.

After the documentary is finished all of the equipment will be saved and used for two upcoming video podcast series at CAS, as well as several photo shoots and special events.