Tim Harrision to Promote Elephant in the Living Room at Fur Ball

Tim Harrison, 2006 Educator of the Year winner, and author of Wildlife Warrior will be the celebrity guest at the Fur Ball and is donating copies of his book to our Table Sponsors.  Tim stars in the upcoming film directed by Michael Webber called The Elephant in the Living Room that will premier at the Sundance Film Festival.  The film is about the controversial world of exotic animal ownership within the suburbs of the United States. "The Elephant in the Living Room" offers an unprecedented glimpse into the fascinating subculture of trading and raising the most deadly and exotic animals in the world as common household pets.

See news about this film from last year's SilverDocs:

The Humane Society of the United States Recognizes The Elephant in the Living Room at SilverDocs

Grant Awarded to Project Spotlighting Dangers of Exotic Pet Trade

Published on Jun 23, 2008 – 6:34:02 AM

By: Humane Society of the United States

SILVER SPRING, Md.(June 23, 2008) – The Elephant in the Living Room, a compelling look at the nationwide problem of exotic pet ownership, has won a $25,000 documentary grant from The Humane Society of the United States.

This is the third year the grant has been given at the SilverDocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival by The HSUS. The grant is part of The HSUS' Animal Content in Entertainment (ACE) program, which is designed to encourage the inclusion of animal issues in non-fiction and narrative entertainment media.

Produced and directed by Michael Webber, The Elephant in the Living Room chronicles the largely ignored yet dangerous epidemic of keeping wild animals as pets-threatening their owners, their communities and animal welfare. Told through the extraordinary day-to-day work of a police officer and one-man exotic animal rescuer, The Elephant in the Living Room was among six outstanding animal-related documentary projects pitched to a panel of broadcast executives from PBS, National Geographic Channels International, Animal Planet and Specialty Studios Entertainment.

Impressed by the quality and built-in audience appeal of all of the HSUS finalist projects, the panel was faced with the challenge of choosing a winner, but The Elephant in the Living Room received top marks for its intriguing protagonist whose fascinating animal rescue work offers a wealth of stories and the potential for a theatrical release, and a follow up series.

Added Ross Hammer, director of The HSUS' ACE program, "We received dozens of submissions from seven countries, and the caliber of these projects was higher than ever. More and more creative filmmakers are finding compelling ways to bring the cause of animal welfare to a global audience through broadcast, theatrical, and digital media platforms. And what better partner for these projects than the largest animal protection organization in the nation.

For the cats,

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http://www.BigCatRescue.org

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