2024 Tribeca Film Festival – ‘CHECKPOINT ZOO’ Review: A flawless victory for cinema

Directed by Joshua Zeman, CHECKPOINT ZOO tells the incredible coming-together of animal professionals, friends, and volunteers whose common goal led to one of the greatest animal rescues ever documented. Set under unimaginable circumstances, the resilience of the human spirit was a torch during the dark first days of the Russia-Ukrainian war.

This powerful documentary follows a compassionate collective of humans as they make a harrowing attempt to rehome a large swath of animals amidst a backdrop of bombs, gunfire, and constant danger.

When February 24, 2022, came along, I knew that my day would consist of the Europa League (how the NIT is to the NCAA basketball tournament, the Europa League is to the Champions League). What I didn’t know was that Russia was going to invade Ukraine. Because of my love for football, I immediately thought of the clubs Shakhtar Donetsk, Dynamo Kyiv, Dnipro, and FC Zorya Luhansk. I soon discovered that all of those cities (Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro, and Luhansk) would get global attention but it wouldn’t be for football’s sake.

Today, I can tell you two things about the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv: FC Metallist and Feldman Ecopark. One is the oldest club in the city’s history and the other is a haven for animals, children, and those who struggle with drug addiction. In the early days of the invasion, some of the fiercest fighting took place on the outskirts of Kharkiv. It’s Ukraine’s second-largest city and sits near the Russian border. On one side was the advancing Russian army, and on the other was the defending Ukrainian army. In an unthinkable scenario, the only thing that sat between two countries at war was Feldman Ecopark.

Within seconds of the film’s commencement, you’ll find yourself on the frontlines of a rescue effort in motion. A group of people are quickly trying to sedate a lion and move it from its enclosure to the group’s van. What follows is a collection of archived news clips to set the tone for the next hour and 47 minutes. “Before the war, it was like a fairytale. It was one of the centers of Kharkiv,” said Vadym Vorotynskyy, head of media for Feldman Ecopark. After boasting its many accolades and its commitment to the community, the scenes progress steadily to after the war starts. A damaged sign, broken windows, and loads of debris represent the aftermath of an airstrike that decimated the park’s entrance.

Oleksandr Feldman is a Ukrainian businessman, parliamentarian, and philanthropist who founded Feldman Ecopark in 2011. He was born and raised in Kharkiv and is a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. As his business, he built an extraordinary market with 20,000 stalls so locals could sell their goods. As a child, he brought home everything from snails to toads, and this is where the idea was born to build a park where children can play with animals. Over 11 years it grew from a small park to a main attraction in Kharkiv, but that all came to a screeching halt in 2022.

Once the shelling began, Ecopark went from having 100 employees to about 10. Deputy Director Svitlana Vyshnevetska explained why she chose to stay. “I love animals more than people,” she began. “They are our children brought to us during our time here. They were loved from the first day.” Another employee, Andrii Tyvaniuk, echoed similar sentiments about choosing to stay for the animals. “It’s like an addiction… A passion,” he said. Andrii lives on the Ecopark grounds after being a participant in Feldman’s drug rehabilitation programs. He feels a special connection to the area and the animals, which is why the park director, Vitalii Ilchenko said of him, “He’s ready to give his life for the life of an animal.”

Their first goal was to get to the park as quickly as possible and feed all the animals. This continued until it was decided that the task was too big for them — they needed help. A social media post served as a rallying cry to those who felt compassion for their struggle to care for the animals. One of the first people to show up was Tymofii Kharchenko, A Polish veterinarian and Ph.D. student who saw Feldman’s Facebook post asking for help and chose to make the risky trip. When Yevhen Zubok and a handful of other younger guys appeared, Vitalii initially rejected them. But after seeing the determination from Tymofii and his friends, fondly referred to as “the boys”, they were welcomed and appreciated. Volunteers Svitlana Selevina and Vitalii Selevin have gone to Ecopark every day since the start of the war to help wherever they can.

The son of Svitlana and Selevina, Denis, sadly lost his life while assisting with the animals. An “In Memoriam” section was designated in the credits to acknowledge those who died during this tumultuous time. Oleksandr Drach, Serhii Ivanov, Oleksandr Kovalevsky, Vadim Ponomarov, and Andrii Zemlyanoy were recognized along with Denis.

This documentary is the best thing to happen to cinema in 2024. When you think of Academy Award-winning documentaries, this should come to mind. CHECKPOINT ZOO has everything from laughter to lament and everything in between. There isn’t a dull moment in the entirety of the film. If for some reason you get sidetracked, your attention will get pulled back after every explosion. Trying to move an animal from one place to another is difficult enough, let alone trying this with predators (lions, tigers, bears), with limited tranquilizers, that are starving, and living under duress from the constant shelling.

Tribeca schedule

Thursday, June 13 – 5:15 PM – AMC 19th St. East 6

Sunday, June 16 – 6:15 PM – AMC 19th St. East 6

CHECKPOINT ZOO gets a 10/10. It’s as educational as it is heartbreaking and that’s beautiful. Rarely does a film come along that makes you feel every emotion possible. A project without blemish is extremely rare, but you can go ahead and crown this baby right now. Everything from the imagery to the score is flawlessly done. Awards season can’t come fast enough.

-Jon Jones