The Cleveland Cinematheque presents "FREE PUPPIES!" on Virtual Cinema. When you buy a ticket, 50% of the proceeds go straight back to the Cinematheque to support independent theaters and independent film.

If you’re looking for a dose of wiggly, waggy, puppy-dog cuteness in Free Puppies!, you won’t be disappointed—but along with it, you’ll gain a new awareness of a chronically overlooked crisis that’s dogging the rural American South. Skimpy funding for shelters, high rates of poverty and a year-round warm climate have led to an overwhelming influx of stray dogs with nowhere to go. Directors Samantha Wishman and Christina Thomas narrow their focus to Dade County in northwest Georgia, where an intrepid group of local women have stepped up to compensate for the lack of an operating animal shelter. Their grassroots efforts to start up a spay-and-neuter program, rescue countless adorable strays from euthanasia and neglect, and place them in loving “forever homes” will pluck at the heartstrings of any dog person. This simple, sentimental doc is the perfect combo of warm fuzzies and a serious (and sometimes heartbreaking) mission. (Hot Docs)

A New York Times "Noteworthy Film of the Summer"!

"Free Puppies! is bursting with appealing canine co-stars, from tiny puppies to veteran hounds. You can completely understand why their plight has captured the hearts of so many humans, and you’ll be hard pressed not to tear up a time or two when their backstories are shared — or when they’re matched with eager adoptive families. It’s dog-gone touching." -Betsy Bozdech, Alliance of Women Film Journalists

"Warm and inspirational...a joy to behold! Highlights the compassion, determination and decency of the heroic female rescuers. Decency, after all, is a strength, so in many ways this doc is empowering for women as all as for all human beings, young and old, with a moral conscience. You might be inspired to either adopt a rescue dog, to join the rescuers on their mission, or to donate to help keep their mission afloat. Free Puppies! will make you stand up and cheer!" -NYC Movie Guru

A documentary by Samantha Wishman & Christina Thomas
70 minutes | Color | English | 2022
Optional English subtitles