Press Kit
Forever HOME
Director: Allison Argo
Runtime: 56 minutes
Film website: foreverhome.love
Film email: info@argofilms.com
Downloadable trailer: Link
Downloadable publicity stills: Link
Logline: A unique refuge becomes a haven for compassionate creativity when an architect fuses sustainable design with radical empathy.
Synopsis
In North Carolina, two dreamers are revolutionizing animal care through groundbreaking architecture. With wild creativity and compassion, their farm animal rescue invites us to rethink the meaning of “home” and our relationship with society’s forgotten animals.
Alternate:
This inspiring film follows a young couple’s dream to provide the best possible life for rescued farm animals by rethinking the concept of “home.” Replacing conventional barns with customized homes, they’re bringing architectural design to the world of animal care and providing a blueprint for a compassionate, sustainable future.
Longer:
In the heart of North Carolina, two dreamers are revolutionizing animal care through groundbreaking architecture. From goats who thrive in vertical spaces to chickens whose house opens with the sun, the residents in this unique sanctuary flourish in custom-designed houses. When a family of cows faces slaughter, an ingenious new home offers them refuge. With wild creativity, compassion, and endearing characters, Forever Home invites us to rethink the meaning of “home” and our relationship with society’s abused and forgotten animals.
Director | Producer | Editor
Allison Argo’s films have won over 100 awards internationally, including six national Emmys, duPont Columbia, Genesis, Jackson Hole, Banff, and dozens of awards from New Zealand to Japan. Argo is known for her emotionally-charged and deeply personal films – in particular her intimate portraits of abused and endangered animals.
The nearly two dozen films she’s produced, directed and written have all been broadcast by PBS and/or National Geographic and have reached audiences worldwide. Her most recent film, The Last Pig, premiered on PBS in 2021 after appearing at 42 film festivals. This award-winning film is now available for streaming internationally.
Forever Home continues Argo’s mission to deepen understanding and respect for our planet and for all beings.
Learn more: www.ArgoFilms.com
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Lenore Bradford is the Founder and Animal Care Director of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge. Lenore has nearly a decade of experience working with and enriching the lives of animals. Her commitment and passion to helping farm animals stems from her core beliefs in kindness, justice, and compassion for all living creatures. In 2012, Lenore founded the Refuge in Pittsboro, North Carolina where she leads a team of committed volunteers and staff in taking care of some of the most special individuals you will ever meet – the beloved animal residents.
Paul Drake is the designer and construction leader of the farm animal houses and infrastructure at the Refuge, where he is helping pioneer a new process of animal-centered design. He splits his time working at Hobbs Architects and volunteering at the Refuge. Paul received a bachelors from Oberlin College and a Master’s of Architecture from NC State University where he received the Kamphoefner and Catalano Scholarships for outstanding design work. He has a passion for designing sustainable structures that can improve the lives of animals.
Director's Statment
Finding the story:
I first stumbled on the story of Forever Home in Durham, NC at a screening of my latest film. A young couple came up to me afterwards to ask about pigs, and when they told me about their Sanctuary, I was absolutely enthralled by the concept of architecture for animals! When I visited their Refuge, I was bowled over by their level of creativity and compassion. We talked about the possibility of a film and within a week, I’d started the process of raising funds for the project. We started filming right away, since I wanted to capture the entire story of designing and building a home for cows. Their design process is so creative and delightful, I didn’t want to miss a moment of it. We were able to document the entire story for beginning to end, and it was a wonderous process.
The filming process:
Because funding was scarce and the pandemic slowed things down, production ook place over four years. I was able to get a small grant for the first shoot, and I built on from there, piecing together grants and filming key moments of the story. Making indie films is not for the faint-hearted, but here we are, six years later, with a beautiful story we can share with the world. This project has been a labor of love.
Throughout the filming process, the needs of the animals always came first. We worked around their schedule, rhythms and comfort level, which is a very organic way to work. The crew was skeletal because funds were tight, but that gives the prowess more intimacy and is less intimidating to the animals - and to the humans (who of course, are animals, too:)).
Why I wanted to make this film:
I’ve been making documentaries on issues about conservation, animals and justice for the past 30 years. I was especially keen to film this story because my last film had been fairly dark emotionally. After that experience, I wanted to make a film that is accessible to all ages and would help people feel hopeful and inspired. It is a story that I hope will inspire people to live their lives with kindness and compassion.
Editor
Chelsea Jackson
Chelsea is an award-winning film editor with a passion for telling stories about social justice and the natural world. Among her credits are The Love Bugs, the 2021 Emmy Award Winner for Outstanding Short Documentary, and films on National Geographic, PBS, Hulu, Starz, and Peacock.
Cinematographer
Joseph Brunette
Joe is an award-winning cinematographer whose work has appeared on National Geographic, CNN, NOVA, PBS, Nature, Discovery and History. Beyond the Farm holds special meaning for Brunette, who has long been an advocate for animal welfare and the environment.
Cinematographer
Robert Gourley
An Emmy Award-winning cinematographer based in Brooklyn, Rob attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and worked as a staff video journalist at the Los Angeles Times before moving on to freelance projects. His work has been featured on Hulu, HBO Max, PBS NewsHour, NOVA, and CuriosityStream.