The tiger—Panthera tigris, is one of the largest and most powerful predators to stride our planet. In the usually dispassionate language of science, the tiger is anointed as a “charismatic species”—in other words, an animal possessed of both beauty and rare mystique. Yet while the tiger is celebrated in folk-legends and mythologies throughout the world, its presence on earth is greatly threatened. Fewer than 3,200 tigers are estimated to remain in the wild, and extinction in our lifetime is a real possibility.

Set in the Sunderbans, the mystical semi-aquatic belt of mangrove forest shared between India and Bangladesh, Tiger Tiger follows Dr. Alan Rabinowitz, one of the top big cat conservation biologists in the world and CEO of Panthera, a big cat conservation organization, as he travels through the one tiger habitat he has never before seen. Schooled on the rough streets of the Bronx in his youth and afflicted with a potentially devastating speech impediment, Alan found salvation in his communication with and passion for animals. And like the tiger, he faces his own diminishing timeline. Diagnosed with leukemia, Alan makes what may be the last expedition in his long career in search of the last wild tigers of the Sunderbans. Here in remote forests of menacing beauty, the tiger is not only the feared lord of the jungle, but also of the water, for the Sunderbans tiger has adapted to become a powerful swimmer and aquatic hunter. On land and in water, the Sunderbans’ tigers have a reputation for being man-eating, and our film follows Alan as he explores the relationship between local people who live on the margins of the forest and the fearsome, but threatened predator. Set in one of the least-known landscapes left on earth, Tiger, Tiger is the story of a man with numbered days seeking to save an animal whose days may also be numbered.

World Premiere January 30th, 2015 at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Showtimes:

Friday, January 30th - 1:00 PM - Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Saturday, January 31st - 7:00 PM - Santa Barbara Museum of Art
Additional showtimes TBD

About the Film

Writer: Caroline Alexander
Director: George Butler
Cast: Alan Rabinowitz
Run Time: 90 min
Year Completed: 2015
Country of Origin: USA
Premier Status: World Premiere

Links:

Dr. Alan Rabinowitz Bio on the Panthera Website

TIGER TIGER - Official Trailer - HD

Additional Info

About Panthera:

Panthera, founded in 2006, is devoted exclusively to the conservation of wild cats and their ecosystems. Utilizing the expertise of the world’s premier cat biologists, Panthera develops and implements global conservation strategies for the most imperiled large cats – tigers, lions, jaguars, snow leopards, cheetahs, cougars and leopards. Representing the most comprehensive effort of its kind, Panthera works in partnership with local and international NGOs, scientific institutions, local communities and governments around the globe. For more on Panthera, visit www.panthera.org

About Tigers Forever:
Panthera’s Tigers Forever program was launched after decades of continuing tiger declines and is changing the face of tiger conservation. Tigers Forever makes a unique commitment to increase tiger numbers at key sites by at least 50% over a 10-year

period by relentlessly attacking the most critical threats to tigers – poaching of tigers and their prey. Utilizing rigorous science to maintain constant vigilance on conservation efforts and on the tiger itself, this transformative program is the only one of its kind to guarantee success – the recovery of the wild tiger. Visit Tigers Forever. OR http://www.panthera.org/news/tiger-tiger