For the Animals
- Directed by: Sadhvi Anubhuti & Sadhvi Siddhali Shree
- Released: 2023 (educational)
- Year of Production: 2022
With catastrophic numbers of stray dogs roaming the streets of Houston TX, twin activists and philanthropists Tena Lundquist Faust and Tama Lundquist lead the charge and take matters into their own hands to save the animals they love. As more and more strays plague the city causing a public health crisis and attacking its residents, the sisters take to the streets for a hands-on approach.
There are too many citizens not caring for their pets and this problem has gone unchecked for decades, resulting in the worst animal crisis the city and county have seen. Through community outreach, direct work with local shelters and stray dog “feeders,” the sisters rescue strays right off the street, run weekly programs to provide free spay and neuter services to the community and work with politicians to take on the dark practices of Houston’s largest shelters that euthanize due to overcrowding. This was all exacerbated by COVID and the new policy of “managing the animal intake/limiting animal intake” in the shelters. As Tena and Tama seek to create a better life for the animals they love, they fight to prove that it takes just one person caring to make a difference.
Although For The Animals is set in Houston, it reflects the same issues cities across the U.S. face where approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter shelters yearly, according to the ASPCA. The film highlights both the grassroots efforts and the multiple animal welfare organizations struggling with the complex nature of solving this overwhelming issue where lack of resources and local bureaucracy each play a role.
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti co-directed and co-produced the film with the support of human and animal rights activist Alyssa Milano as an Executive Producer.
Sadhvi Siddhali Shree is the first North American female Jain monk, a US Army Iraq- war combat veteran, a TEDx speaker, FORBES council member, activist, and an award-winning filmmaker.
Driven by her deep-seated devotion to humanity, she uses her talents and skills to raise awareness about non-violence, personal and spiritual transformation, and social issues. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from California State University, Long Beach and a background in web development, marketing, and video production, she has helped spread the teachings of her spiritual mentor, Acharya Shree Yogeesh, which has touched and transformed millions of lives worldwide. Since 2008, she has served as the Spiritual Director of Siddhayatan Tirth & Spiritual Retreat, a 250-acre retreat, ashram, monastery, animal sanctuary, and meditation park based near Dallas, Texas. Sadhvi Siddhali Shree is passionate about social movements that focus on non-violence, human rights, animal rights, gender equality, and anti-trafficking.
Determined to bring about positive change and to help humans and animals who have suffered, she directed and produced two award-winning documentaries: Stopping Traffic: The Movement to End Sex Trafficking and Surviving Sex Trafficking, and co-directed and produced For the Animals: a Dogumentary, which raises awareness about the stray animal and overpopulation crisis in the United States by focusing on the city of Houston.
Sadhvi Anubhuti is an accomplished filmmaker, speaker, activist, and Jain monk who is passionate about advocating for non-violence and human and animal rights. As the Director of Operations of Siddhayatan Tirth, she is responsible for overseeing structural and program development, operations, fundraising, marketing, and branding strategies. Anubhuti holds a BBA in Marketing, a Minor in French, and an advanced sales certification from the Program for Excellence in Selling at the C.T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston.
Anubhuti uses her background, skills, and experience to help lead several projects that focus on animal welfare, well-being, health, social-economic advancement, and spiritual upliftment. Her mission in life as a monk is to help alleviate the pain and suffering of those who seek happiness, freedom, healing, non-violence, social justice, and soul-awakening.
As a passionate filmmaker, Anubhuti has worked on several film projects, including "Stopping Traffic" (2017) as Assistant Director and "Surviving Sex Trafficking" (2022) as Co-Producer/Cinematographer. Both films earned numerous awards. Her latest film, "For the Animals: A Dogumentary", marks her debut as co-director. Her love for animals and her desire to relieve their pain and suffering inspired her to create the film.
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