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Meryl. Photo courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society.[/caption]
By Annette Hinkle
In 1993, when the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) made its debut in East Hampton one of the first people to volunteer was Zelda Penzel. She’s been coming back each fall to lend a hand at the film festival ever since.
“From September to Columbus, day I don’t make any other commitments,” explains Ms. Penzel, a retired high school foreign language teacher.
It’s clear that the film festival is near and dear to Ms. Penzel’s heart, but it turns out that she also seriously committed to another cause — protecting the rights of animals around the world. Since retiring 25 years ago, Ms. Penzel has become a vocal and tireless advocate for animals both locally and abroad. Which is why four years ago, she approached Karen Arikian, then head of the HIFF, about creating a legacy for the film festival that merged her two passions.
“I told Karen I would like to make a bequest in my will to HIFF, and before that I’d like to create an animal rights award,” recalls Ms. Penzel. “They loved the idea, and that’s how the award came about in 2012.”
That award, “Giving Voice to the Voiceless,” has been presented annually at the HIFF ever since. In past years, the award came with a $1,000 prize and the winner was chosen from the larger pool of films submitted to the festival.
This year, the award has been increased to $2,500 and HIFF has taken it a step further by creating the Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights program for films that bring together animal advocacy, environmental and social justice issues.
Three films will be featured in this inaugural Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights division, including Darcy Dennett’s documentary “The Champions” which will receive this year’s “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” award.
“The Champions” tells the story of the more than 50 pit bulls seized from the compound of NFL quarterback Michael Vick after he was implicated in an illegal interstate dog fighting ring in 2007. Despite calls for the dogs to be euthanized — including from the Humane Society and PETA — Rebecca Huss, the federal court appointed guardian and special master of the case, arranged for the dogs to be transferred to various facilities where they would receive care and a chance to heal and hopefully, be adopted.
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Cherry. Photo by Geoff Tischman.[/caption]
It represented a novel approach to handling refugees from a dog fighting ring, and among the facilities who stepped up to the plate was Best Friends Animal Society, which agreed to take 22 of the most difficult dogs with the understanding that some would spend the rest of their lives at the organization’s sanctuary in Utah.
Given what they had experienced at the Vick compound, the staff at Best Friends had their work cut out for them. Initially, many of the dogs startled easily, were fearful of the most innocuous noises or other dogs, or “pancaked” and cowered at every interaction. It’s not exactly the image of the vicious fighter many people expect in a pit bull.
But Ms. Dennett points out that pit bulls attack, not because it’s in their nature, but because they have been isolated, abused or neglected. She notes that for every champion fighting dog, there are many more dogs that have no interest in fighting.
“Most dogs are killed because they’re not good fighters,” explains Ms. Dennett. “There are a handful that will fight other dogs. They may have a predisposition toward that, or they may be subjected to ongoing torture by the dog fighters.”
“Sometimes drugs are used to amp them up,” she adds. “If a willingness to fight is seen, they’ll be rewarded with steak and salmon so they think they’re doing something good for their owners.”
And what about dogs that aren’t good fighters?
“They’re killed in a multitude of horrific ways,” says Ms. Dennett.
According to a USDA report, at the Vick compound, dogs were shot with handguns, hanged, electrocuted and drowned in five gallon buckets. Ms. Dennett notes that the dogs taken from the compound witnessed it all.
“They heard dogs being killed, crying out in pain. That completely shuts them down,” says Ms. Dennett. “They lived in a cage their entire lives, they were underfed and under watered, never played with a toy or another dog. These dogs had very little exposure and were underprepared to go into the world.”
But as the film illustrates, at the rescue organizations that took them on, these dogs got the time and attention no one else was willing to give them — as a result they got a second chance at life.
Some of the dogs will spend the rest of their lives at the sanctuary, but a surprising number were adopted as family pets. Among them is Johnny, a therapy dog who regularly visits pediatric cancer patients. While it’s tempting to use the word “rehabilitation” when referring to these dogs’ transformation from potential fighters to family pets, Ms. Dennett notes the owners of these dogs sometimes chafe at the word.
“When you suggest they needed to be rehabilitated, that implies they has a problem to start with,” explains Ms. Dennett. “They didn’t need to be rehabilitated, they just needed time and patience.”
“Most people would simply walk away and presume they’re hopeless,” she adds, “but with time, they can come around.”
“The Champions” HIFF premiere is Saturday, October 10 at 1:30 p.m. at the UA Cinema in East Hampton. A special panel discussion follows with Ms. Dennett, Francis Battista of Best Friends Animal Society and Dr. Rebecca Huss. Also in attendance will be Cherry, one of the dogs featured in the film, and his new owner Paul Fiaccone.
“The Champions” also screens Monday, October 12 at 11 a.m.
at the Sag Harbor Cinema.
Other films in the Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights program are:
“How to Change the World” chronicling the rise of Greenpeace and the ideological debates about the mission of the organization. Saturday, October 10, 7:30 p.m. East Hampton Library. Representatives of Greenpeace and Sea Shepherd Conservation Society will take part in a Q&A and discussion after the film.
“Captain Fish” a short film from France that details what happens when a little girl decides to save the food she refused to eat.
on Oct 7, 2015