COMMITTEE ANIMAL: AN AMAZING NEW SERIES IN THE WORK!

COMMITTEE ANIMAL

SBIFF  2026

Interview with Director: Robert Redfield.

‘Committee Animal’ (trailer: https://vimeo.com/1068117116?fl=pl&fe=ti ) is a proof of concept short/pilot from maverick director Rober Redfield. In his own words: “An overworked and under-appreciated team of oddball designers in the Fauna Design Department must overcome conflicting egos, corporate bureaucracy and a supply chain crisis to meet an impossible deadline. The animal kingdom will never be the same again.” Robert is heading in the right direction and we only can hope he get the right support to  fully get  his series going. 

Q: Let me know what drove you to put together his show, what was the inspiration?

Robert: I did this short as a steppingstone to do a feature or a limited series. At one point we saw, with my wife, a corgi dog passing by as we were having lunch. Their legs are so small. At this point we thought that dog was made by a “committee”.  Same goes with strange animals like a giraffe or a kangaroo. So, this film focuses on people designing odd animals. So, when we meet them there are under pressure designing mammals. 

Q: what type of challenges did you face making this film?

Robert : The main challenge, no matter who you are, is financing. So, I self-funded this film, which I gladly did, but now I can’t make this series with various episodes by myself. So, the next challenge is about finding a partner to make the whole series.  

Q: Expectations being here at SBIFF?

Robert: Well, this is all about getting extra exposure and hoping to find a partner to help us get the series going. So, I hope we get some new alliances being in the prestigious Santa Barbara International Film Festival!

Q: What do you think is the takeaway with your show, what do you hope people get when they watch your film?

Robert: That’s a good question. There is no shortage, these days, of docs warning us or advising us to take care of our nature and animals. But usually, it’s done with a very serious tone. Here we are doing the same with some humor and a lighthearted way of doing things.  But there is also a secondarily theme which is about “mankind trying to mess with nature”! And sometimes it's not ending up in an “as good expectation”.  Hopefully our films points into the way of diversity we have with animals.  It’s a fun scenario to see how we end up with these animals.  Hopefully people are entertained and are being more careful about nature and wildlife. 

Q: Are you working on other projects?

Robert: Yes, working on several projects in various stages of development. I can’t give you details just yet but it’s moving along as we speak. 

By: Emmanuel ITIER