What makes the film special?

MATILDA tells a unique story: the escape of a cow from the perspective of 16-year-old Anna and how the encounter with the animal changes her life. Inspired by Matilda’s courage, Anna questions her own limits as well as her relationship to animals. The film is based on true events – the many stories of animals that escape from slaughterhouses every year. When these animals manage to hide and avoid capture, something remarkable happens: people sympathize with the animal on the run and even demand that it be saved from death – while the lives of their nameless companions end in the slaughterhouse. This phenomenon speaks volumes about our relationship with animals, and it’s this dichotomy between the use of animals on the one hand and our desire to avoid animal suffering on the other that lies at the heart of the film. Anna provides the audience with an engaging and intimate glimpse into her own world – how she strokes Matilda’s head for the first time; how she encounters Matilda in her dreams; and how she decides against all odds to fight for Matilda’s freedom.

MATILDA provides a new and thought-provoking perspective on this important subject and leaves a lasting impression.

Anna is 16 and grew up near London. Together with her father Robert, she recently moved into the terraced house belonging to his new wife Sandra. In order t  become a chef, Anna works as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant owned by Alex, a former celebrity chef. But an unexpected encounter with a runaway cow in the forest turns Anna’s life upside down because Matilda – as she named the cow – leaves a lasting impression on Anna. She begins to question the way cows are treated, which leads to tensions with her father, who works in the slaughterhouse from which the cow escaped. When Anna meets the two animal rights activists Kevin and Nina, she is initially skeptical of their views. Nevertheless, she offers to help them rescue Matilda. But her father, who is supposed to coordinate the capture of the cow, is unwilling to accept either the activists’ appeals or Anna’s increasingly rebellious behavior. The longer Matilda manages to hide in the forest, the greater the media interest and the greater the pressure on Robert. Anna and the activists are running out of time. Finally, it comes to a showdown between father and daughter and Anna has to make a decision that will change her life forever.
MATILDA is an affecting look at our relationship with animals, the beliefs that define us and the power of compassion.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER

Steffi Koehler and Marc Pierschel—both filmmakers and activists—first worked together in 2017 on the award-winning feature documentary, Butenland. They realized they shared the same goal—to make films that move, shake up and inspire. Through their production company Antimae Film, they aim to create authentic narratives that inspire, move and empower. Matildathefilm.com #MatildaTheFilm.