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The Film
MINE
is the powerful story about the essential
bond between humans and animals told against the backdrop of one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history.
MINE
explores how tragedy intensifies that bond and is told from the perspective of
original guardians, rescuers, and adoptive parents
of the voiceless victims of Katrina. These individuals are all connected by two things, the tragic
aftermath of Katrina and their love of animals.
In response to an unprecedented crisis, thousands of pets needed to be transported
around the country and adopted even when their displaced guardians still desperately
wanted them. Meanwhile, many adoptive guardians have forged strong bonds with their new
pets, nurturing them back to health from the traumas they suffered during and after the
storm.
When two families love the same pet, conflicts inevitably arise over who is the rightful
"owner" and what is right for the animal. At the center of this tension are pets who are
loved like family, but by law are considered property. This begs the question, who is
looking out for the best interest of the animals? Set in a post-Katrina landscape of
poverty, loss and moral uncertainty, MINE presents the complexity of
an intensely emotional situation that has no simple answers.
A tragedy of this scale reveals the worst and brings out the best in humankind and
presents an opportunity for us to bring about meaningful social change. MINE is a compelling, character-driven story that challenges us see the way we treat
animals in our society as a reflection of how we treat ourselves -- and each other.
The Characters
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Karen O'Toole
Karen O'Toole has worked for years as a writer and production coordinator in
Hollywood. Impassioned by TV images of the disaster, Karen was one of the first
rescuers to navigate her way into a submerged city, in a race against time to save
thousands of animals trapped in houses and fighting to survive. Armed with a crowbar
and pure tenacity, Karen embarks on a crusade that will last longer than she could
have ever imagined.
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Gloria Richardson
Seventy-year old Gloria refused to evacuate New Orleans without her lab, Murphy
Brown and was forcibly removed after days with no clean water and dwindling food
supplies. Gloria and her pet were separated and though he was wearing tags and had
paperwork, Murphy Brown got lost in the system and sent out of state. Her daughter
and hundreds of volunteers around the country desperately search for Murphy Brown in
hopes of reuniting him with a devastated Gloria for her 71st birthday.
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Malvin Cavalier
When he heard a hurricane was coming, 86 year-old New Orleans native, Malvin Cavalier, started building a boat in his driveway. As Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast with winds gusting up to 220 miles per hour, Malvin was forced to abandon his boat and flee to the Super Dome. "I don't want to go to the dome, but I have to go - and they won't take pets," recounts an exasperated Malvin. He left his beloved companion Bandit with food and water and a promise that he'd return in a few days. Instead, Malvin was evacuated to Houston and spent the next several months wondering if he'd ever get back home to find Bandit. Finally able to return to a FEMA-issued trailer in New Orleans, Malvin searches for his dog with the help of an unlikely new friend, Sandra Bauer, a volunteer from Canada. They discover that Bandit is with a family in Pittsburgh, but the rescue group that placed the dog refuses to provide any additional information. While Sandra works the legal system trying to sue for Bandit's return, Malvin struggles to rebuild his life and his home.
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Jesse Pullins
Jesse Pullins is a New Orleans resident and an advocate for the homeless. When Jesse
and his family evacuated without their dog, JayJay, they never imagined they
wouldn't be able to return for months. During his exhaustive search, Jesse
discovered JayJay featured on Cesar Millan's "The Dog Whisperer". On the program, a
plea was made for the dog's owners to come forward. Over a year later Jesse still
has not been reunited with his best friend.
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Tiffany and Jeremy Mansfield
Jeremy Mansfield found the perfect Christmas present for his wife, Tiffany at the
local animal shelter--a Jack Russell terrier rescued after Hurricane Katrina. The
Mansfields thought they were doing good by rescuing a "Katrina animal" - only to
find themselves in the midst of a custody battle over their beloved pet when his
original guardian comes forward to reclaim him. Now the couple struggles with the
decision of whether they can part with the little dog that has brought them so much joy.
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Randy Turner
An attorney in Texas, Randy is an animal lover who is working pro-bono on behalf of
the shelter that rehabilitated Linda Charles' German Shepherd. His clients are being
sued based on Louisiana property laws, which consider pets property and give
original "owners" 3 years to reclaim their animals. "It's unfortunate that animals
are being treated as property, that the animal has no rights. Someone needs to look
at these cases and decide what's best for the animal," he comments. "It's not about
who's richer, who has a bigger yard, but there needs to minimum standards of care
and should be determined whether Ms. Charles can provide that care for this dog."
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