LION ARK Wins Audience Award at San Diego Film Festival

Action-packed documentary Lion Ark, which follows the rescue of 25 lions from illegal circuses in Bolivia, has won the Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary at the San Diego Film Festival. Lion Ark is currently touring prestigious film festivals across the world, after playing to sold out theatres in Mill Valley, California and London, UK. CSI star Jorja Fox, who appears in Lion Ark, will introduce the film at the Hawaii International Film Festival tomorrow.

Lion Ark Director Tim Phillips said: "We are thrilled that the audience has voted Lion Ark Best Documentary at the San Diego Film Festival. This confirms that although Lion Ark tackles a serious issue, it is an uplifting and exciting film. Lion Ark tells how the lives of 25 lions are transformed as they are saved form circuses in Bolivia and embark on a journey to freedom and safety."

Made more in the style of an action adventure than traditional documentary, Lion Ark follows the world's most ambitious and daring animal rescue which begins with a shocking undercover investigation and leads to a ban on animal circuses in Bolivia; when the circuses defy the law, the team behind the investigation returns, tracking down the illegal circuses and saving every animal.

All aspects of the remarkable rescue operation were recorded and Lion Ark is meticulously compiled from film, interviews, conversations and the reactions of participants as events unfold. The confrontations, heartache and incredible risks the rescue team face are all captured before a joyous finale sees 25 lions airlifted to freedom in Colorado.

The rescue was backed by Emmy award-winning TV host Bob Barker and ADI Ambassador and CSI actress Jorja Fox, both of whom appear in the film. Bob Barker's support enabled the rescue team to empty Bolivia of its suffering circus animals and build homes for them in the US.

Lion Ark screens opens at Hawaii International Film Festival, hosted by Jorja Fox, on Saturday 12 October.

For more information, please visit www.LionArkthemovie.com.

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