Animal Planet & Lionsgate Go for Million Dollar Duck Doc

PARK CITY/SANTA MONICA: Lionsgate and Discovery Communications’s Animal Planet have teamed up to acquire the rights in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. for the documentary film Million Dollar Duck.

Animal Planet picked up the TV rights, while Lionsgate will distribute the doc on a limited basis theatrically and on digital home entertainment and packaged media. The film made its world premiere at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival and will debut on Animal Planet in the fall after its theatrical release.

Directed by Brian Golden Davis, Million Dollar Duck spotlights the Federal Duck Stamp Contest, which is the only juried art competition managed by the U.S. government. The film follows six wildlife artists striving to win “the Olympics of wildlife art.”

“From the moment I saw Million Dollar Duck, I knew Animal Planet would be the perfect home for this heartfelt and humorous film,” stated Rich Ross, the group president of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. “Showcasing this film brings to light this special program that supports wetlands conservation and aligns with our network’s goal to activate people on animal welfare concerns.”

“We’re proud to extend our strategic partnership with Discovery on this terrific film,” said Jim Packer, Lionsgate’s president of worldwide television and digital distribution. “Poignant, quirky, hilarious and tremendously engaging, Million Dollar Duck is the perfect property to kick off our alliance with Discovery on documentary films and other long-form content that creates tremendous opportunities for both our companies.”

“Some of the greatest docs ever made have been about either sub-cultures or competitions,” noted John Hoffman, the executive VP of documentaries and specials for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. “Brian has brought these two genres together in a perfect way that makes us laugh and care. He’s made wildlife artists into superstars.”

“I’m thrilled to have Million Dollar Duck find a home with Animal Planet and Lionsgate,” added Golden Davis. “I made this film because I wanted to explore the quirky world of The Federal Duck Stamp Contest, where the artists were motivated by their sheer love of nature and conservation, and I can’t think of better platforms to help share our ‘duck tale’ with the world than Animal Planet and Lionsgate.”