One new locally-based documentary has already been so successful leading up to its premiere that the Esquire Theatre is adding a second showtime.
“Shelter Me: Cincinnati,” the newest installment of the nationally acclaimed PBS series “Shelter Me,” is set to premiere at the Esquire at 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, September 30. That screening sold out in less than 24 hours, so the theater is adding a second screening at 9 p.m. Each screening gives viewers a chance to see the film before it airs on television later this year.
Filmed over six days in May 2025, “Shelter Me: Cincinnati” takes viewers behind the scenes at Cincinnati Animal CARE — Hamilton County’s only open-intake animal shelter and sole provider of animal services —and into the community, highlighting the people, animals, programs and partnerships that make its progressive approach to animal sheltering possible.
The film is directed and executive produced by Steven Latham, creator of the “Shelter Me” series, whose work has spent more than a decade telling stories about shelter pets and the people working to save them. Previous films have featured big names like John Legend, Jane Goodall, Edie Falco, Kristin Chenoweth, Jon Hamm, Kristen Bell, Hilary Swank, Allison Janney, Wendie Malick, Jane Lynch and Katherine Heigl.
Tickets for the newly added screening are $20, with 100% of ticket proceeds benefiting Cincinnati Animal CARE.
For more information, visit the screening’s webpage on Cincinnati Animal CARE’s website.