48 THE QUEENS COURIER • BUZZ • MARСH 19, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
buzz
Fresh Meadows fi lmmaker hopes to inspire
dog rescues and adoption with new fi lm
Courtesy of Terry Katz
Terry Katz in front of his Fresh Meadows home with his adopted rescue dog, Mona,
a mixed-breed terrier from the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington,
Nassau County.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Queens native is hoping to inspire
dog rescues and adoptions in his new
fi lm, “Loving Mona,” which tells a heartwarming
story about love, friendship and
how dogs make humans better people.
In May 2016, Terry Katz adopted then
11-month-old Mona, a mixed-breed terrier
from the North Shore Animal League
in Port Washington, Nassau County.
“She caught my eye right away. I interacted
with her and touched her, and she
seemed to like me and I really liked her,”
Katz said. “We’ve been together ever
since and she’s changed my life for the
better.”
Katz’s fi lm, “Loving Mona,” has been
in the works for the past two years and
it transforms the power of rescue dogs,
Katz said.
“Mona fi lled a great deal of my empty
time with purpose, got me outdoors, and
kept me active. Th rough her I met many
new friends,” Katz said. “I love her very
much and she’s my best friend.”
Katz, 65, lives in Fresh Meadows and
much of the fi lm was
shot in the parks and on
the trails at Alley Pond,
Cunningham Park, and
dog runs in Bayside, the
Rockaways, North West
Nassau County and
Sands Point, Long
Island.
“I thought it
would be interesting
to compare
and contrast Mona
and myself to others
that I’ve met,”
Katz said. “I went
out and started
interviewing
friends
and saw a lot
of commonalities
people have
with their dog
and everything
came
down to the
bare essence of love and
friendship.”
With a background in
fi lmmaking and a professional
editor for 35-plus years, Katz
received help on the production from his
students at the SUNY Fashion Institute
of Technology and St. John’s University,
where he teaches as an adjunct professor.
“Loving Mona” started as payback for
everything Mona has brought into Katz’s
life. When completed, the fi lm will be
made available free of charge to animal
rescue groups, animal advocates and rescue
shelters to use for fundraising.
“It’s pretty amazing how many rescue
dogs are available every day. Th ere’s an
ASPCA TV commercial and all of these
dogs are in cages. It’s heartbreaking, and
I hate it so much because people should
have a dog for love and not for pity,” Katz
said.
“Dogs are sentient beings. Th ey cannot
advocate for themselves,” Katz added.
“Th ey need our help. We believe our story
will inspire others to rescue and adopt.”
Katz has created a GoFundMe Page to
raise additional funding to complete the
fi lm. To date, he has raised $3,485 and
is looking to reach his goal of $12,000.
Viewers can also visit Facebook and
Instagram (@loving_mona) to stay up
to date and view the trailer of “Loving
The movie poster for “Loving Mona” Mona.”
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