Safe Humane has been selected by Magnolia Pictures to hold a special online screening of the incredible new film "STRAY" directed by filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, premiering March 5, 2021. STRAY has won coveted awards at Hot Docs and Tribeca this year and is garnering great reviews. It's a powerful film for dog lovers.... Variety Magazine says the film is “both the ultimate love letter to dogs and a multifaceted moral inquiry into humanity.”

When the film is released on March 5th, you will have seven days to start the film and 72 hours to complete viewing (the film is 72 minutes long). For every ticket sold, Safe Humane will receive $5 of the $12 and 100% of any donations. The first 200 tickets sold for the event will be matched by an anonymous donor.

Plus, Safe Humane's CEO and Co-founder Cynthia Bathurst has organized a compelling panel to accompany Safe Humane’s screening, including panelists Elizabeth Lo, Director of STRAY; Chris Green, Executive Director of Harvard Law School's Animal Law & Policy Program; and Cliff Froehlich, Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis and Co-founder of the Metro East Humane Society; and facilitated by Jeanne Sparrow, a Chicago TV and radio celebrity and media consultant (who you may recognize as the host of last year's virtual Diamonds in the Ruff).

One of the options on the ticket page is to make an additional donation in support of Safe Humane's 2021 plans: In 2021 we will enhance and grow the Safe Humane Court Case Dogs and Lifetime Bonds programs while developing new programs in the community that help marginalized populations – people and dogs impacted by violence or trauma and lack of resources. Our programs promote compassion, facilitate social justice and celebrate unity, diversity and participation. If you do not donate there, please consider doing so here, where donation levels are tied to needed resources.

PRESS MATERIALS are available at this link.

ABOUT SAFE HUMANE CHICAGO 
Safe Humane Chicago is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 2000 whose mission is to create safe and humane communities by inspiring positive relationships between people and animals. Programs facilitate connections among populations impacted by violence or other trauma or marginalized by society using the healing, transformative power of the human-dog bond. These programs focus on education, advocacy and second chances for people, animals and our communities. 

ABOUT MAGNOLIA PICTURES 
The leading independent film distributor for nearly 20 years, Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, boasting a library of over 500 titles. Recent releases include Romania’s Official Oscar entry COLLECTIVE, Alexander Nanau’s jaw-dropping expose of corruption at the highest levels of government; SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, director Lance Oppenheim’s documentary chronicling the surreal world of The Villages, the nation’s largest retirement community in Central Florida; Official French Oscar entry TWO OF US, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Filippo Meneghetti; JOHN LEWIS: GOOD TROUBLE, Dawn Porter’s timely chronicle of the life and career of the legendary civil rights activist and Democratic Representative from Georgia; 2018 Cannes Palme d'Or winner and Oscar-nominated SHOPLIFTERS, from renowned Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda; Box office sensation and Oscar-nominated RBG, filmmakers Betsy West and Julie Cohen’s documentary about the consequential life and legal legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; Ruben Östlund’s 2017 Cannes Palme d'Or winner and Oscar-nominated THE SQUARE; and Raoul Peck and James Baldwin’s Oscar-nominated I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO. Upcoming releases include; STRAY, Elizabeth Lo’s stunning debut feature that takes a dog’s eye-view of the streets of Istanbul and the highly-regarded strays that roam them; and ABOUT ENDLESSNESS, Roy Andersson’s visually stunning Venice Best Director winner.

PRESS CONTACT
Bess Donoghue | 847.254.1626 | bessdonoghue@gmail.com