The film Checkpoint Zoo may take audiences deep into Kharkiv, Ukraine, but its South Florida connections run deep.

The documentary, which transports viewers to 2022, at the beginning of the deadliest war in Europe since World War II, follows a group of Ukrainian civilians who volunteer to save 4,700 animals from a zoo 30 miles from the Russian border. The film has major South Florida support; four of its six investors are from Miami, including Lauren Cohen, director of programming for the Miami Film Festival. Leonardo DiCaprio is also an executive producer.

"When I saw it, I was blown away, and it was clear audiences felt the same, as it was runner-up for the top documentary audience award prize at Tribeca, " she tells New Times .

Following a screening at the 2025 Miami Film Festiva

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