Wild Home (2014)

'Wild Home' is a documentary film about Bob Miner, a Vietnam Veteran who has found his way back to the world by rehabilitating abused and abandoned animals deep in the woods of Maine. Along with his wife, Julie, they've built a kingdom where they care for lions, tigers, hyenas, kangaroos, black bears, and over 200 other species of animals. Bob has had a rare connection to animals all his life. When he was injured in Vietnam, he returned home where he suffered a series of strokes and was confined to a wheelchair. He began taking care of animals as a form of therapy and gradually he built his own world with them. With the help of the animals and his wife Julie, Bob learned to walk again and eventually built the entire Animal Kingdom with his own hands. 'Wild Home' is the first feature length documentary by Emmy Award winning director Jack Schurman. It was created in the tradition of intimate character documentaries like 'The Cruise' and 'Little Dieter Needs to Fly'. The film follows the quiet redemption of a man who has found peace by creating his own kingdom in the most unusual of places and sharing it with the world. Filmmakers Jack and Robert Schurman first visited D.E.W. Animal Kingdom six years ago. The next day they brought a camera and have been filming and editing with Co-Producer Gabriel Garton ever since. In the film, the events that occur day to day in the park are interspersed with Bob's musings on life and the tours he gives to the public in order to educate them on the different species of animals, what they teach us about ourselves, and the importance of their preservation. Bob's tours have become well known due to his unique perspective on the animals and on society and life as a whole.