When people ask me about my
favorite rescue in my feature-length documentary SMART: Specialized Mobile
Animal Rescue Team, they assume the answer’s going to be something big. The
deer in Pee-Wee Herman’s backyard? Airlifting the horse from the dam? Surely,
the mountain lion in the basement?
The
answer, surprisingly enough, is a kitten in a basement.
First,
check out the trailer:
You
back? Great. Pretty cool, right?
My team
and I spent 3 years in the field with SMART. We lived, breathed and bled with
them. But they truly figured out who I was early on, in a house with true
Hollywood pedigree. Yes, this rescue could only have occurred in the City of Los Angeles.
SMART
team lead Armando Navarrete was in the attic, his flashlight beam sweeping
across insulation and wood. The owners thought the kitten was up there, but
although we could hear the little thing, it was nowhere to be found.
I
shimmied downstairs and ran outside, making sure I was on the same side of the
house Armando was. And then I heard it. The kitten was crying beneath the
house, and the sound was racing up the wall to the attic.
I told
Armando to come on down, and then I almost went in to grab the kitten. I think
that’s when they figured out that I was truly invested in their work. That I
got it. Me, leading my small crew, determined to tell their story… and I almost
ruined my own shoot to go get that little critter.
 |
| Armando with Kitten Photo Courtesy of Justin Zimmerman, Director of SMART |
Of
course the properly trained and incredibly talented Armando Navarrete did his
thing and saved the day, and that kitten rescue is an important part of the
documentary. But the end of the story hasn’t ever been told before. Until now.
Because
in true Hollywood fashion, the owner of the home was in the classic Planet of
the Apes. He sprayed down Chuck Heston with a water cannon, in fact. And Planet
of the Apes is Armando’s favorite movie from his childhood.
 |
| From Planet of The Apes Photo Courtesy of Justin Zimmerman, Director of SMART |
Mind.
Blown.
So it
wasn’t the dog over the cliff or the 50-foot fall or even the pelican water rescue
that stands out to me the most. My favorite rescue is a kitten, alone in the
dark, crying out for help so loudly that it sounds like it’s coming from the
attic. And the need to go in and get it out, no matter what, running through
me.
 |
| Armando with kitten Photo Courtesy of Justin Zimmerman, Director of SMART |
Movies.
Documentaries. LA. It all came together in SMART, and now the film is live on
Amazon and more for all to see. I hope you have time to watch and review it,
and I hope it galvanizes everyone who sees it to help. To volunteer, to adopt a
shelter animal, to have their pets spayed, neutered and microchipped. You know
the score.
Because
you don’t have to jump out of a helicopter to be an animal rescuer.
Justin
Zimmerman, Director
Everything
SMART: www.SMARTMovieDoc.com
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SMART on
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SMART on
Amazon DVD
