Documentary About Zoo Animals Escaping Ukraine War Is Backed by DiCaprio — and Four Miami Filmmakers

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 Festival, where it won the jury-selected Documentary Achievement Award, and a showing at Coral Gables Art Cinema last month, Checkpoint Zoo is screening locally for the third time, at O Cinema in Miami Beach.

"It means so much to me that our local arthouse cinemas have thrown their full support behind the film," says Cohen, who adds that the documentary's Gables Cinema run was nearly sold out. "It's not particularly easy to get bookings for films like Checkpoint Zoo," she says. "There are so many bigger films that have more money and marketing behind them, so when cinemas like O Cinema and Coral Gables Art Cinema give a movie like this space, it's because they're true champions of the arts in South Florida."

Cohen first saw the documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival, and she extended an invitation to screen it at the Miami Film Festival the following April.

"I was drawn to the film because I love stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things," she says. "I watch hundreds of films a year, including countless documentaries. Part of what I love so much about documentaries is their ability to expand our worldview and expose us to some of the most unbelievable stories. Checkpoint Zoo documents the kind of story that, were it not for this film, you would think was completely implausible and absurd."

About a week after she saw the film, Cohen got a call from Josh Zeman, the film's executive producer and director. He was planning on self-distributing the film for its theatrical release and was looking for several investors to come on as executive producers to help fund the process. Cohen jumped on board and recruited the others — her brother and two friends.

"It felt like this little Miami family banding together, dedicating our time, money, and resources to get this film seen by as many people as possible," she says.

While the movie does take place during a war, Lauren wants readers to know that it is entirely about hope, humanity, and the miraculous rescue of almost 5,000 zoo animals.

"I always find it interesting when people try to label things as 'political.' To me, there's minimal politics displayed here. This is about saving animals that are trapped in a war zone, period," she says. "There are no two sides, no alternate opinions, nothing to debate or disagree with. The idea of rescuing animals that are trapped in cages, starving, and at constant risk of shelling, is just the basest level of human compassion at work."

She quotes Zeman: "Josh always says, 'Animals don't care about borders — they care about love and survival.' And that's what I think most people will take away from the film."

Checkpoint Zoo. Thursday, September 18, through Sunday, September 21, at O Cinema South Beach, 1130 Washington Ave., Miami Beach; o-cinema.org.