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First Run Features presents
FREE PUPPIES!
The True Story of Rescue Dogs

Opening in Theaters beginning August 12, 2022

Weekend Q&A's in New York City and Los Angeles
with Filmmakers Samantha Wishman & Christina Thomas
and the Tri-state Rescue Ladies
Millions of rescue dogs from the rural South have been transported to new homes thanks to the tireless efforts of a vast, grassroots network of dog rescuers.
  
FREE PUPPIES! is the true story of where those dogs come from and how a group of feisty and intrepid women rescuers are working together to save them.
 
A New York Times Noteworthy Film of the Summer
"No, they won’t be handed out with tickets, but presumably seeing rescue dogs placed in new homes in a documentary will make you smile all the same."
~ The New York Times
 
 
ONLY IN THEATERS

NEW YORK CITY - OPENS AUGUST 12
Cinema Village
LOS ANGELES - OPENS AUGUST 18
Laemmle Glendale

Also in select cities including:

Sedona, AZ
Mary D. Fisher Theatre
Morgan Hill, CA
Cinelux Tennant Station
Rafael, CA
Smith Rafael Film Center
Scotts Valley, CA
Cinelux Cafe & Lounge
Sonoma, CA
Prime Cinemas Sonoma
Boulder, CO
The Boedecker at Dairy Arts Center
Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee Film Society
New Orleans, LA
Zeitgeist Theatre
Cary, NC
The Cary Theater
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Cinamatheque
Tacoma, WA
Grand Cinema

Part of every ticket sold supports rescue organizations!
 
 
"Like a friendly dog wanting to play a game of tug of war, directors Samantha Wishman and Christina Thomas’ charming documentary Free Puppies! pulls on the viewers’ heartstrings with a truly inspirational story. Best of all, the film is a great testament to grassroots movements who aren’t afraid to tackle a huge cause that they believe in."
~ KPFK Film Club
The first feature film on the booming national movement to relocate rescue dogs:

Time Magazine
 
 
Although transports have moved dogs from the South for decades, when Hurricane Katrina left more than 250,000 pets stranded, the infrastructure of modern pet transport for a nation-wide dog rescue effort was born. Since then, individual volunteers, transporters, shelters and rescue groups have created a movement to place millions of southern dogs in areas of the country with high demand for adoption but low supply.

By following a group of women dog rescuers from Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee, FREE PUPPIES! reveals the challenges that contribute to the rescue dog crisis in the first place. These women not only save dogs from euthanasia, but also organize affordable and accessible spay and neuter, reform local ordinances, advocate for humane education, and fight urgent and complex challenges facing underserved areas of the rural South.

The film includes interviews with the ASPCA, Atlanta Humane Society, McKamey Animal Center, My Kids Have Paws Veterinary Clinic, Dixie Day Spay, Badass Brooklyn, and dozens of rescue organizations, shelter directors, healthcare providers, and local officials.
FREE PUPPIES!
A film by Samantha Wishman & Christina Thomas
Opens August 12, 2022 in Live Cinemas
70 minutes | color | English
Credits

Samantha Wishman - Director, Producer, Editor
Christina Thomas - Director, Co-Producer, Editor
Muffie Meyer - Story Editor
Carter McCormick - Director of Photography
Eliot Popko - Director of Photography
Joey McCormick and Willard Hamilton - Original Music
Filmmaker Biography - Samantha Wishman

Samantha Wishman is a filmmaker from New York City. After graduating from Columbia Law School, she moved to LA to make a short film about pitching a script for a feminist softball comedy in Hollywood, which went on to play at a number of festivals. She adopted a rescue dog named Billie Hollydale before returning home to make FREE PUPPIES!.
Filmmaker Biography - Christina Thomas

Christina Thomas is a producer, director and editor from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After graduating from The University of Pennsylvania she moved to Los Angeles where she has worked on several productions including commercials, shorts and features. FREE PUPPIES! is her documentary directorial debut. She enjoys giving equal attention to her dogs Harvey and Ruphus.
Press Contact: Kelly Hargraves
kelly.hargraves@firstrunfeatures.com


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