Logline:
The friendship of two teenage boys from very different worlds is put to the test by a daring plan to steal animals from the zoo and sell them on the black market.
Synopsis:
Inspired by true events, two best friends, Tariq, an Omani teenager and Cai, a privileged Westerner, conspire to steal animals from the zoo and sell them on the black market to raise money for Tariq’s sister’s divorce from an abusive marriage. They are forced to wrestle with morally complex choices that reveal the vast distance between their worlds.
Director Biography – Seanne Winslow, Adam Sjoberg
SEANNE WINSLOW BIO:
Seanne Winslow is a writer, director, producer. Born to American parents, she grew up in Germany and spent time in England, Israel, and the Middle East. From an early age, Seanne experienced how stories can bring people together, regardless of their background. So, she became a filmmaker, to entertain and inspire global audiences with authentic stories.
After writing and directing “The Falconer” with Adam Sjoberg, Seanne joined forces with Eric Darnell, who directed the Madagascar franchise, and the team at Baobab to write and develop films and TV shows inspired by Baobab’s Emmy award-winning VR shorts. She is finishing a re-write for Netflix and getting ready to direct her next live-action feature film “Ilona,” which is inspired by her childhood in a German castle. Set in a magical world, “Ilona” is a story about reconciliation between a young woman and her mother after her mother’s attempted suicide.
Seanne studied writing and directing at USC Film School. As a creative producer at Lin Pictures (now Rideback), she oversaw the Sherlock Holmes franchise with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. She went on to become the Executive Producer of “The Lego Movie” directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, and Elizabeth Banks. She co-founded an underground community with producer Dan Lin for filmmakers to discuss, “How do we tell better stories?” Seanne also produced Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo/Yeezy Season 3” show in Madison Square Garden and “Monster,” a five-part documentary series, for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage.
ADAM SJOBERG BIO:
Adam’s work spans dozens of countries and a wide variety of subject matter, often bridging the gap between popular culture and pressing global issues.
His first film, “Shake the Dust,” a collaboration with rap superstar Nas, documents the lives and skills of breakdancing street kids from Yemen, Colombia, Uganda, and Cambodia. “I Am Sun Mu,” his second feature film, follows a North Korean dissident-turned-artist as he prepares for a harrowing art exhibition in China under the watchful shadow of the Chinese and North Korean governments.
In 2016 he and three partners produced Kanye West’s Life of Pablo and Yeezy Season 3 fashion event in Madison Square Garden — the largest fashion show of all time, and in 2019 he edited and co-produced a five-part short film series for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage titled Monster.
His most recent release is the global podcast hit titled “The Messenger,” a Spotify original series produced for Awfully Nice in collaboration with J. Cole’s Dreamville Studios.
Director Biography – Seanne Winslow, Adam Sjoberg
SEANNE WINSLOW BIO:
Seanne Winslow is a writer, director, producer. Born to American parents, she grew up in Germany and spent time in England, Israel, and the Middle East. From an early age, Seanne experienced how stories can bring people together, regardless of their background. So, she became a filmmaker, to entertain and inspire global audiences with authentic stories.
After writing and directing “The Falconer” with Adam Sjoberg, Seanne joined forces with Eric Darnell, who directed the Madagascar franchise, and the team at Baobab to write and develop films and TV shows inspired by Baobab’s Emmy award-winning VR shorts. She is finishing a re-write for Netflix and getting ready to direct her next live-action feature film “Ilona,” which is inspired by her childhood in a German castle. Set in a magical world, “Ilona” is a story about reconciliation between a young woman and her mother after her mother’s attempted suicide.
Seanne studied writing and directing at USC Film School. As a creative producer at Lin Pictures (now Rideback), she oversaw the Sherlock Holmes franchise with Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law. She went on to become the Executive Producer of “The Lego Movie” directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, starring Will Ferrell, Chris Pratt, and Elizabeth Banks. She co-founded an underground community with producer Dan Lin for filmmakers to discuss, “How do we tell better stories?” Seanne also produced Kanye West’s “Life of Pablo/Yeezy Season 3” show in Madison Square Garden and “Monster,” a five-part documentary series, for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage.
ADAM SJOBERG BIO:
Adam’s work spans dozens of countries and a wide variety of subject matter, often bridging the gap between popular culture and pressing global issues.
His first film, “Shake the Dust,” a collaboration with rap superstar Nas, documents the lives and skills of breakdancing street kids from Yemen, Colombia, Uganda, and Cambodia. “I Am Sun Mu,” his second feature film, follows a North Korean dissident-turned-artist as he prepares for a harrowing art exhibition in China under the watchful shadow of the Chinese and North Korean governments.
In 2016 he and three partners produced Kanye West’s Life of Pablo and Yeezy Season 3 fashion event in Madison Square Garden — the largest fashion show of all time, and in 2019 he edited and co-produced a five-part short film series for Spotify about rapper 21 Savage titled Monster.
His most recent release is the global podcast hit titled “The Messenger,” a Spotify original series produced for Awfully Nice in collaboration with J. Cole’s Dreamville Studios.
