287:, curious about the type of people involved in the underground world of zoophilia, interviewed figures close to the case, including other members of the zoophile ring. The three zoophiles interviewed by the filmmakers are identified by their names in the online zoo community—Coyote, H, and the Happy Horseman. H was the man who organized the zoo gatherings. Only one zoo, Coyote, agreed to appear in the film’s re-enactments.
321:, had written an article about the incident and was contacted by one of the participants in the case. Of the participants, called "zoos", Mudede said "there was a desperate need to talk" and to tell their side of the story. Coyote, the only zoo that appears in the film, said he came to trust Devor to tell their story, saying "I felt in my gut he was not going to make an exploitive type of movie." When
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Mudede noted, "It was only after Pinyan died when law enforcement looked for one way to punish his associates, that the legality of bestiality in
Washington State became an issue The prosecutor's office wanted to charge Tait with animal abuse, but the police found no evidence of abused animals on
411:
called it "one of the most beautiful films of the year" and noted that "without sensation", it steps back to a "non-traditional" viewpoint, with "Devor a persuasive, provocative and deeply profound case for tolerance and understanding in the face of the seemingly most incomprehensible of acts".
263:
who held animal orgys at a local farm to have sex with horses. At the farm, the police seized videotapes and DVDs that showed several men engaging in sexual acts with the resident
Arabian stallions, with one of them showing Kenneth Pinyan. At the time, Washington state had no laws concerning
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in the media. Said Mudede, "There seemed to be two responses: repulsion or laughter. People didn’t want to have any connection or identification with these men. Early on Rob and I said to each other, 'We’re going to revive their humanity.'"
356:
Sundance judges called the film a "humanizing look at the life and bizarre death of a seemingly normal
Seattle family man who met his untimely end after an unusual encounter with a horse". The film was picked up for distribution by
425:
writing, "More compelling than the depths of man's degeneracy is our cultural rationalization of 'art,' whereby pushing the envelope is confused with genius and scuttling the last taboo is seen as an expression of sophistication."
325:’s selection for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival was announced in December 2006, H, the farmhand who was the host of the men’s get-togethers, contacted Devor and consented to an audio interview, which Devor edited into the film.
259:, Washington, Kenneth Pinyan also known as "Mr. Hands" died from internal injuries sustained while engaging in a sexual act with a horse. The police investigation of the incident led to the discovery of a network of
328:
Devor said the film’s biggest challenge was finding locations to shoot, as horse farms in the
Seattle area did not want to be associated with the documentary. Said Devor, "Owners would say things like: 'We have
290:
Other interview subjects include Jenny
Edwards, the founder of a local animal rescue organization who helped investigate potential animal abuse in the case, and legislators and local law enforcement officers.
475:
Charles Mudede reported in 2015 that the zoophiles featured in the film had remained in contact with the director; according to Mudede, they believed that Devor was "a real ally" to their cause.
232:’s filmmakers intended to approach the film’s subject matter from a non-sensationalized perspective and chose to forego more lurid details, focusing instead on humanizing the people involved.
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charges were not filed against the participants because no evidence of injury to the horses was found. The videographer in the Pinyan incident, James
Michael Tait, was charged with criminal
221:. The film combines audio testimony from people involved in the case or who were familiar with Pinyan, "with speculative re-enactments that feature a mix of actors and actual subjects."
405:, who said the film is "gorgeously artful ... one of the most beautifully restrained, formally distinctive and mysterious films of the entire festival". Anthony Kaufman of
369:
called the film "A tough sell that gets respect at
Sundance", also noting the local economic effect of landmark films which put a location "on the map". Rob Nelson of the
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in
January 2007, one of 16 documentaries accepted out of 857 candidates. Following Sundance, it was selected as one of five American films to be presented at the
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engineer's fatal sexual encounter with a horse in a way that's haunting rather than shocking and tender beyond reason." Dennis Lim of
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the many videotapes they collected from his home…the prosecutors could only charge Tait with trespassing."
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picnics here. They’re going to think it happened in my barn.'" The production ended up filming in Canada.
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Other reviewers criticized the film for breaching "the last taboo", or for sinking to new depths, with
361:, whose executive said, "The film is extreme more in its formalism than in terms of graphic content."
303:, Robinson Devor and Charles Mudede said when the news story first broke in 2005, it quickly became a
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achieves the seemingly impossible: It tells the luridly reported tale of a
Pacific Northwest
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was one of 16 documentaries selected, out of 856 submitted, for screening at the
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948:"Slate Set for 49th Directors' Fortnight; Corbijn's "Control" Opening Section"
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It was selected as one of the top five
American films to be presented at the
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820:"Sundance films wallow in perversity, try to pass it off as 'art'"
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due to perforation of the colon after engaging in receptive anal
574:"Charge filed in connection with man who died having horse sex"
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On their reasoning for wanting to make a documentary about the
456:, and played at numerous U.S. regional festivals thereafter.
892:"Cannes Countdown: Directors' Fortnight Lineup Impresses"
635:"Infamous Enumclaw horse sex case to be made into movie"
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The film’s title refers to the subcultural term for a
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is bogged down by its overly artistic presentation."
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693:""Zoo" a tough sell that gets respect at Sundance"
268:swiftly voted to criminalize bestiality in 2006.
796:"Year of the Horse: The Stunning World of "Zoo""
16:2007 American documentary film by Robinson Devor
228:, a person with a sexual interest in animals.
513:"A Lyrical Approach to a Subject That Shocks"
8:
922:"Zoo: Inside the Controversial Documentary"
255:In July 2005 near the small rural town of
29:
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338:In the Forest There Is Every Kind of Bird
264:bestiality; in response to the case, the
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894:. Matt Dentler's Blog. Archived from
873:"New movie is the spawn of horse sex"
794:Kaufman, Anthony (January 23, 2007).
668:"New movie is the spawn of horse sex"
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871:Westneat, Danny (December 3, 2006).
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666:Westneat, Danny (December 3, 2006).
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209:film based on the life and death of
1116:English-language independent films
1111:English-language documentary films
773:Pevere, Geoff (January 26, 2007).
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1071:Documentary films about sexuality
946:Hernandez, Eugene (May 3, 2007).
633:Macdonald, Moira (July 3, 2006).
1096:Films shot in Washington (state)
966:"Bestiality flick shocks Cannes"
717:Nelson, Rob (January 25, 2007).
1091:Films set in Washington (state)
336:The film was originally titled
974:. May 22, 2007. Archived from
279:Two Seattle-based filmmakers,
1:
997:Sokol, Zach (July 16, 2015).
890:Dentler, Matt (May 4, 2007).
511:Lim, Dennis (April 1, 2007).
1101:2000s English-language films
213:. This American man died of
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1066:American documentary films
775:"In praise of real movies"
747:"'Zoo' is not just 'eeew'"
340:, but this was changed to
235:The film premiered at the
138:January 18, 2007
465:2007 Cannes Film Festival
245:2007 Cannes Film Festival
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719:"Sympathy for the Devil"
315:Mudede, a journalist at
153:April 25, 2007
1086:2007 independent films
1081:2007 documentary films
454:Sundance Film Festival
445:Awards and recognition
237:Sundance Film Festival
605:(February 23, 2006).
1106:2000s American films
1076:Zoophilia in culture
818:(January 26, 2007).
745:(January 22, 2007).
731:on October 11, 2007.
680:on December 5, 2006.
552:Editor and Publisher
461:Directors' Fortnight
241:Directors' Fortnight
898:on February 9, 2008
607:"The Animal in You"
205:is a 2007 American
580:. October 18, 2005
518:The New York Times
386:The New York Times
344:in a reference to
115:Paul Matthew Moore
88:Russell Hodgkinson
877:The Seattle Times
825:The Baltimore Sun
752:Los Angeles Times
697:The Seattle Times
673:The Seattle Times
640:The Seattle Times
578:The Seattle Times
431:review aggregator
422:The Baltimore Sun
396:Los Angeles Times
366:The Seattle Times
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91:John Paulsen
38:movie poster
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931:December 7,
702:December 7,
618:December 7,
584:December 7,
558:December 7,
532:December 7,
274:trespassing
215:peritonitis
207:documentary
107:Joe Shapiro
66:Produced by
44:Directed by
1061:2007 films
1055:Categories
1010:January 1,
479:References
305:punch line
295:Production
178:80 minutes
157:2007-04-25
142:2007-01-18
99:Sean Kirby
69:Peggy Case
54:Written by
952:IndieWire
801:IndieWire
724:OC Weekly
527:0362-4331
471:Aftermath
408:IndieWire
372:OC Weekly
359:THINKFilm
352:Reception
346:zoophilia
331:Microsoft
261:zoophiles
124:THINKFilm
104:Edited by
1046:AllMovie
902:July 13,
433:website
257:Enumclaw
251:Synopsis
226:zoophile
191:Language
148:Sundance
112:Music by
76:Starring
971:News 24
651:July 3,
429:On the
393:of the
375:said, "
194:English
183:Country
155: (
140: (
525:
381:Boeing
161: (
146: (
852:"Zoo"
1035:IMDb
1012:2016
1004:Vice
984:2010
933:2022
904:2011
838:2011
760:2011
704:2022
653:2006
620:2022
586:2022
560:2022
534:2022
523:ISSN
283:and
1044:at
1041:Zoo
1033:at
1030:Zoo
450:Zoo
439:Zoo
419:of
377:Zoo
342:Zoo
323:Zoo
230:Zoo
202:Zoo
36:Zoo
24:Zoo
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