One of the more controversial, much-discussed documentaries to come out of Sundance this year was Trophy, the latest film from Shaul Schwarz (Narco Cultura) and Christina Clusiau. Taking a deep, complex look inside big-game hunting and wildlife conservation, the documentary will be arriving next month and now a new trailer has landed.
“There’s no clear answer for what to do here, like so much in this world,” we said in our review. “For every groundswell of social media support for a Cecil The Lion, there are a hundred (a thousand!) poaching atrocities committed in the name of protecting local farmers and fueling a growing hunting economy, and some of that is certainly legitimate.”
Check out the trailer below.
Endangered African species like elephants, rhinos and lions march closer to extinction each year. Their devastating decline is fueled in part by a global desire to consume these majestic animals. TROPHY journeys viewers across lush African forests and vast plains and into the world’s largest hunters’ convention in Las Vegas as it investigates the powerhouse industries of big-game hunting, breeding and wildlife conservation. Through the eyes of impassioned individuals who drive these industries—from a Texas-based trophy hunter to the world’s largest private rhino breeder in South Africa—the film grapples with the consequences of imposing economic value on animals. What are the implications of treating animals as commodities? Do breeding, farming and hunting offer some of the few remaining options to conserve our endangered animals? TROPHY will leave you debating what is right, what is wrong and what is necessary in order to save the great species of the world.
Trophy opens on September 8 in NY and LA and will have one-night screenings nationwide on September 26.