In 1956, four years before Jane Goodall ventured into the world of chimpanzees and seven years before Dian Fossey left to work with mountain gorillas, 23-year-old biologist Anne Innis Dagg made an unprecedented solo journey to South Africa to study giraffes in the wild. In THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES Anne (now 86) retraces her steps, and with letters and stunning, original 16mm film footage offers an intimate window into her life as a young woman, juxtaposed with a first hand look at the devastating reality that giraffes are facing today. Both the world’s first ‘giraffologist’, whose research findings ultimately became the foundation for many scientists following in her footsteps, and the species she loves have each experienced triumphs as well as setbacks. THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES gives us a moving perspective on both. USA, 2020, 83 minutes.
Now streaming from through May 4. Tickets are $12. Purchase your tickets at https://kinonow.com/the-woman-who-loves-giraffes-rivertown-film. It takes only a few minutes to register and then purchase your ticket, but Rivertown Film will be using this platform for future films, and for those you will already be set up (so save your password). You can watch the film at any time for five days after you purchase your ticket. This film has been made available by the distributor, Zeitgeist Films, to support the art house community that has been shut down due to COVID-19. When you purchase a ticket, you are directly supporting Rivertown Film, and for this film, ROSA 4 Rockland. Please read the FAQ on the box office page.
“A fascinating tale… fine storytelling, combining ecology and social justice issues while focusing on a woman ahead of her time.” – Toronto Star
“This warm documentary uses one woman’s singular passion to fuel a tale of zoological discovery, blatant sexism and environmental alarm.” – The New York Times
“While the story of Dagg’s achievements as the first person to study an African animal in the wild is impressive, her narrative, involving gender prejudice, neglect and unexpected rebirth, is more complicated and involving than that.” – Los Angeles Times
“Almost as much about the prejudice Dagg had to deal with as a female scientist as it is about the wondrous title creatures.” – Boston Globe
“It’s worth being reminded that misogyny is as pernicious a force as the unchecked development that threatens the habitat of a majestic animal.” – Washington Post
“So inspirational it feels like the sort of old-fashioned family film that can now be excavated on Disney+.
– The Wrap
“The sight of giraffes in motion, is, in Dagg’s words, a “symphony of movement.” – San Francisco Examiner
