PROJECTS
Known around the world as “The Missing Link,” Oliver represented the possibility of a human-chimpanzee hybrid. For decades, his story was sensationalized in narratives that captured our attention, but only part of Oliver’s life.
In never-before-seen archival images and audio, and current-era interviews, award-winning documentary filmmaker Andy Cockrum brings Oliver's story to life like we've never seen it. With meticulous care and artistry, Oliver: Legends of a Great Ape captures Oliver's life from his arrival in the United States through his retirement at an animal sanctuary. The film provides rare insight into our shifting understanding and use of animals in entertainment and research, and brings us face-to-face with Oliver's cultural legacy.
SHERPA STEW
Documentary Feature (84 minutes)
The Sherpa of Nepal’s high Himalaya are the men and women known for their endurance and ability to survive at oxygen-deprived altitudes. And in New York City, they’re driving cabs, selling imports at street market stalls and chopping vegetables in the kitchens of Asian restaurants.
Sherpa Stew is the story of hard-working immigrants who put everything on the line to provide a better life for their children. The film follows mountaineers Nima Dawa Sherpa and Kipa Sherpa from the top of Mount Everest to Queens, New York, as they strive to start a new life.
With nuance, humor and insightful direction, filmmaker Andy Cockrum offers a fresh perspective on the immigrant’s journey, and one that will have you reconsidering your assumptions about the people you pass on the street.
TEAM EVEREST:
A HIMALAYAN JOURNEY
Documentary Feature Film (111 minutes)
Team Everest: A Himalayan Journey chronicles a remarkable group of trekkers on an expedition to the world's highest mountain. If they succeed in their quest, the team will be the largest group of people with disabilities ever to reach Mount Everest Base Camp.
Five men in wheelchairs and their teammates, representing a range of disabilities, trek 21 days through the high Himalaya. From their departure in the Sherpa village of Lukla, the team will attempt to reach an altitude of over 17,500 feet in one of the most inaccessible regions on earth.
THE MONKEY PROJECT
Television Pilot (24 minutes)
A group of artists visit an animal sanctuary and create artwork to tell the stories of some of the animals that live there. This heartfelt program illustrates the tumultuous journey that many of these animals took before arriving safely at the sanctuary.
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Among the animals featured in the program are Punkin the orangutan, a former television star, and Oliver, the chimpanzee who was once touted to be “The Missing Link" between humans and apes.
