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TROPHY

Synopsis

This in-depth look into the powerhouse industries of big-game hunting, breeding, and wildlife conservation in the U.S. and Africa unravels the complex consequences of treating animals as commodities.

The Filmmakers

Shaul Schwarz Director

Shaul Schwarz is a filmmaker and award-wining photojournalist. His debut documentary NARCO CULTURA premiered at Sundance in 2013. Schwarz is a regular photographic contributor to Time and National Geographic and has directed content for Discovery Channel, History Channel, and CNN. In 2016, he directed the Emmy-nominated web series, A Year in Space, produced with Time Magazine's Red Border Films, and co-directed the documentary AIDA'S SECRETS. He is the founder of Reel Peak Films.

Christina Clusiau Co-Director

Christina Clusiau is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer, and photojournalist based in Brooklyn, NY. Christina co-founded Reel Peak Films in 2013, a production company specializing in short and long-form documentary films, commercials and television content made with cinematic quality and journalistic integrity. Christina shot the Emmy-nominated web series, A Year in Space, in partnership with Time Magazine's Red Border Films, as well as the feature documentary AIDA's SECRETS which premiered at Hot Docs in 2016.

Lauren Haber Producer

Lauren Haber is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. As head of film and television for Parts & Labor, she oversaw the production and development of critically-acclaimed films such as Robert Eggers' THE WITCH, Josh Marston's COMPLETE UNKNOWN, Matt Ross's FRANK & LOLA, Ira Sachs ' LOVE IS STRANGE, David Lowery's AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, Shaul Schwarz's NARCO CULTURA, and more.

She is currently in post-production on Shaul Schwarz's documentary TROPHY and Russell Harbaugh's debut feature LOVE AFTER LOVE starring Chris O'Dowd and Andie MacDowell, and developing several projects for both film and television.

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Festivals & Awards

Sundance Film Festival

2017

Endangered African species like elephants, rhinos, and lions march closer to extinction each year. Their devastating decline is fueled by a global desire to consume and collect these majestic animals. Trophy investigates the powerhouse businesses of big game hunting, breeding, and wildlife conservation. Through the eyes of impassioned individuals who drive these industries, filmmakers Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau grapple with the complex consequences of imposing economic value on animals. What are the ethical implications of treating animals as commodities? Do breeding, farming, and hunting offer some of the few remaining options to conserve these species before it's too late?

Shaul Schwarz (Narco Cultura, 2013 Sundance Film Festival) has never been a filmmaker who sees the world in black and white. Embracing the gray areas that make for a multifaceted assessment of big game hunting and the industries that support it, Trophy will spark fierce debate as it digs deeper to examine the state of our planet and the conscience of humanity.

+ Festival Website

SXSW

2017

Endangered African species like elephants, rhinos, and lions march closer to extinction each year. Their devastating decline is fueled by a global desire to consume and collect these majestic animals. Trophy investigates the powerhouse businesses of big game hunting, breeding, and wildlife conservation. Through the eyes of impassioned individuals who drive these industries, filmmakers Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau grapple with the complex consequences of imposing economic value on animals. What are the ethical implications of treating animals as commodities? Do breeding, farming, and hunting offer some of the few remaining options to conserve these species before it's too late?

+ Festival Website

Reviews

TROPHY, an extraordinary documentary from Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau, is filled with astonishing sights...Layered, thoughtful and infinitely curious, TROPHY is shot so simply and beautifully, and with such nonjudgmental calm, that it’s easy to miss the ingenuity of its construction.”

-Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

A boggling look inside the world of big game trophy hunting...Mind-bending.”

-Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times

Will enrage, enlighten and confound in equal measure.”

-Nick Schager, Variety

The movie is richer in every way for its tangled sympathies. It will leave you angry, sick, and confused—but not smug.”

-David Edelstein, Vulture