TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 15, 2017) After a successful debut earlier this year at the Gasparilla International Film Festival, the documentary centered around Florida’s first Courthouse Facility Dog has officially been accepted into the 2017 Orlando Film Festival and the Sunscreen Film Festival West in Hermosa Beach, CA.
The “Dogumentary” tells the story of how Guardian ad Litem (GAL) volunteers, former Voices for Children of Tampa Bay Director Betsy Smith and GAL volunteer Brenda Kocher were able to bring the Courthouse Facility Dog Program and the film’s star, Tibet, to the Hillsborough County 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa, Florida.
Tibet provides emotional support for the abused, neglected and abandoned children who are facing the dependency court system during stressful and difficult proceedings.
Tibet was the first facility dog staffed in the state. Thousands of children have to testify without any support.
With the success of the program which began in 2014, they hope to expand and bring more facility dogs to courthouses around the state.
The silver and gold Telly-award winning documentary “Tibet: The Story of Florida’s First Courthouse Facility Dog” was produced by HCP Associate’s production company, Gulf Atlantic Films (www.gafilms.com).
The Orlando Film Festival runs October 19-26 in Downtown Orlando’s Cobb Plaza Cinema Café. For more information visit www.orlandofilmfest.com.
The Sunscreen Film Festival West runs October 6-8 at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre in Hermosa Beach, CA. For more information visit www.ssffwest.com.
To learn more about Voices for Children and Guardian ad Litem, please visit www.vfcgal.org or call (813) 275-9300.