New Harambe Documentary Sheds Light On Animal Captivity

The internet-viral Cincinnati Zoo gorilla gets the documentary treatment he deserves.
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PHOTO BY JEFF MCCURRY

Remember Harambe? Of course you do. The Cincinnati Zoo silverback gorilla was shot and killed in 2016 after a three-year-old boy climbed into his exhibit and zoo workers feared for the boy’s life. He then became the subject of various internet memes, songs, video games, statues, and more.

Now, a new documentary from a group of conservationist filmmakers is screening locally. The documentary focuses on the silverback gorilla species being critically endangered, the troubling and complex history of zoos, and igniting new discussions about the price of animal captivity. It premieres on Sunday, September 24, which is World Gorilla Day, at 3 p.m. at the Esquire Theatre.

“We are not just filmmakers, but direct action conservationists, having worked in the field from the Amazon to deep in the Andes mountains, we feel the movie has to be more than education. It has to help the communities that open their homes, hearts, and stories to us to share with the world,” say filmmakers Erik E. Crown and Sierra Williams in a press release.

The documentary promises “rare and unreleased photos and video of Harambe,” alongside interviews with Will Travers OBE and Dame Virginia McKenna of Born Free Foundation, wildlife expert Ian Redmond OBE, TMZ and Hollywood Raw podcast host Dax Holt, Dan Van Coppenolle (who named Harambe), and Jeff McCurry, the photographer whose photo of Harambe went viral and became an iconic meme.

For those wishing to buy tickets, head to the Esquire’s web site.

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