LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, November 12, 2020 — Escape From Extinction, the inaugural feature-length documentary from American Humane, the country’s first national humane organization, has been awarded the ‘Best Environmental Film’ and ‘Parajanov-Vartanov Institute’ Awards at this year’s DOC LA – Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.
The film makers behind Escape From Extinction will receive the Best Environmental Film Award, while Academy Award Winner Helen Mirren, who narrated the film, will be awarded the Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, which has previously honored recipients such as Martin Scorsese and Emma Thompson.
The film, which opened wide in theatres across the United States on Oct. 16, and was ranked the number one documentary for two weekends in a row, showcases the critical efforts certified and accredited zoos and aquariums are undertaking to preserve millions of species threatened with mass extinction.
“We are thrilled Escape from Extinction and Helen Mirren received this outstanding recognition from DOC LA,” said executive producer Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. “During a year in which we are navigating the impact of both a global pandemic and the catastrophic effects of climate change, we hope this incredible documentary will introduce a new generation to the remarkable and endangered animals with whom we share the Earth, and rally the peoples of the world to protect them.”
“Thank you to the team at DOC LA for recognizing our film as an important call to action to protect our earth’s precious species,” said director and producer Matthew R. Brady of MRB Productions.
Organized by the prestigious Parajanov-Vartanov Institute, DOC LA screens and awards outstanding films by students, emerging auteurs, and established masters, to give Angelenos the opportunity to see great examples of World and American cinema.
Proceeds from the 90-minute documentary go back to American Humane in helping to further its vital work to protect animals around the world, including saving, sheltering, and improving the lives of some one billion animals each year.
For more information on Escape From Extinction and the work of American Humane, visit www.americanhumane.org. And for more information on the awards program and film festival, visit www.docla.org.
About American Humane
Founded in 1877, American Humane is the country’s first national humane organization. For 142 years, the nonprofit has pioneered many of the humane protections we have come to take for granted and today works to save, shelter, feed, and improve the lives of some one billion animals around the world. With 91 cents of every dollar spent going directly to programs, American Humane has earned Charity Navigator’s highest “Four-Star Rating,” has been named a “Top-Rated Charity” with an “A” rating by both the American Institute of Philanthropy’s CharityWatch and Great Nonprofits, and was awarded the gold level seal from GuideStar USA. The organization has also earned the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence, was awarded inclusion on Better Business Bureau’s prestigious Wise Giving Alliance Accredited Charities list and was designated as a “Best Charity” by Consumer Reports. For more information about American Humane’s lifesaving work, please visit www.AmericanHumane.org.
About MRB Productions
MRB Productions brings inventive stories and inspired imagery to media platforms around the world. Whether producing a commercial, a feature film, television, digital, live sports or an award show, MRB evolves to embrace a project’s specific needs. We are passionate about what we do and committed to being exceptional. MRB’s most recent feature, All I Wish, with Sharon Stone, Tony Goldwyn & Ellen Burstyn, is currently streaming. Our documentary, Back to Life, premiered on ABC and is currently on Amazon Prime. MRB’s latest films, all festival darlings, are available on streaming platforms. These include The Night Stalker with Lou Diamond Phillips, The Truth About Emanuel with Jessica Biel, & Grassroots with Jason Biggs. In Television, MRB has a decade of experience producing the pre-taped segments and VIP program for ESPN’s ESPY Awards, in addition to producing the Hero Dog Awards for the Hallmark Channel. Additional TV projects include two seasons of the mockumentary comedy show Free Radio on VH1 and Comedy Central and the Webby award-winning series, The Confession, starring Kiefer Sutherland. MRB is also known for sports programming for the Longhorn Network. MRB’s commercial repertoire includes a longstanding relationship with Mattel and collaborations with Periera & O’Dell, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Publicis, for clients such as McDonald’s, Pepsi, Mattel, Lay’s, Foot Locker, Samsung, Nerf, NHL, Smirnoff, Wal-Mart, and University of Phoenix. In the video game space, MRB partners with Ubisoft to produce the Just Dance Kids series. For more information, please visit www.mrbproductions.com.
