You read that headline correctly–there is no monkey business here. Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough’s newest film, Sasquatch Sunset, recently hosted a screening in front of a group of apes. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that actor-producer Jesse Eisenberg screened the film at the Ape Initiative in Des Moines, Iowa to a group of bonobos.
Sasquatch Sunset, which recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, stars Eisenberg and Keough as a family of Sasquatches traveling America. The pair, who wore ape-like prosthetics and costumes, went to “ape camp” to learn how to move like real-life primates. To promote the film, Eisenberg and the film’s team brought the Sasquatches’ story to the source. Bleecker Street Media, who produced the film, released footage of this event on YouTube.
Dr. Jared Taglialatela, the director of Ape Initiative, and Dr. Sara Skiba, Ape Initiative’s director of communication, commented that “The bonobos were very curious about Sasquatch Sunset. For many of the bonobos, they have never seen a film about creatures that look and act so much like them but are also so similar to humans.”
Eisenberg reflected on “ape camp” after watching the film with the bonobos. “Watching them was pretty interesting after spending time thinking about those movements. What I found so funny, and what reminded me of doing it, was this very relaxed attitude.”
One bonobo was particularly entranced by Sasquatch Sunset. “Teco punched the screen when the Alpha Sasquatch appeared,” Dr. Taglialatela and Dr. Skiba revealed. “As a matriarchal species, bonobo females are in charge of the group. Teco is the son of our matriarch, Elikya, and he gets his status from his mom. This may, in part, explain his reaction to the Alpha Sasquatch in the film.” Teco also has also enjoyed Disney films like Frozen and Moana. Kanzi, another ape, prefers action films while Nyota is obsessed with Twilight, even going so far as to blow kisses to Kristen Stewart on-screen.
Bonobos are an endangered species. Dr. Taglialatela added that “they’re only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their numbers are declining in the wild, and it’s mostly due to the activity of humans. So we’re trying to do our best to educate the world about these wonderful creatures and share what we learn with students of all ages with the eventual goal of being able to reverse that decline.”
Check out the Ape Initiative’s website for more information on these wonderful creatures. Sasquatch Sunset released in select theaters on April 12, and is set to expand in the future.
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