Giuseppe the cat was forced to be a “bubble boy” due to an incurable condition called Feline Leukemia Virus. His parents tell the story of his life and untimely death while exploring the importance of acknowledging our pet loss grief and leaning on our communities for support.
“Bubble Beppo” is a short documentary about the filmmaker’s cat, Giuseppe, who passed away from an incurable condition called Feline Leukemia Virus. The shortening of Giuseppe is “Beppo” in Italian and we thought that was a cute nickname. The film will intimately follow the director’s mental health journey and how she found healing and peace after a traumatic loss. We want to give space for the audience to feel seen in their healing journey with grief by calling attention to its importance and pointing out the harmful ways our western society deals with death. We seek to change the narrative around death and dying, particularly with pets, and push our society to a more empathetic approach to the grieving process. This deeply personal documentary seeks to educate and empower pet parents to make the best decisions for their furry companions as well as removing the stigma around pet loss grief and encouraging the audience to deepen their view of what companion pets can mean to humans. The film will educate the audience about feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and address misinformation that people receive about FeLV and other incurable conditions in cats, as well as how they often have low adoption rates. The film will highlight that Giuseppe was happy and healthy most of the time, and that many cats live with this condition for years.
Crew Bios
Sarah Bosler – Director/Editor
Sarah is currently a freelance film editor and documentarian based in Louisville, KY. She has produced impact documentaries for the YMCA and CenterWell, to name a few. Sarah also edited and associate produced “After the Flood” a documentary for Kentuckians for the Commonwealth about the devastating 2022 flood in Eastern Kentucky. Recently, she has worked in post production for feature films such as Carolina Caroline, Brooker, and Oddities (post production) as well as continuing her editorial documentary work on The Nuclear Frontier (online editor), Pinball (post production), and Ibogaine Dreams (post production).
Madeline Weiner – Producer
Madeline Weiner is a filmmaker living in Louisville, KY. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. After working as a cartoonist and comic book artist for several years, she shot her first short, Blanch, in 2022. She co-produced her first feature film, LandLord, in 2023, and attended the 2024 Frontières Buyers Showcase at the Cannes film marketplace. She has also worked in production accounting and coordinating on films such as Wildcat (2023), Carved (2024), A Mother’s Love (post-production), The Revisionist (post-production), Dead Man’s Wire (post-production), and Regretting You (post-production). Madeline intends to create narrative films with a focus on gender and sexuality, religion, and intersectional feminist perspectives on culture and genre.
Melody Peace – Director of Photography
Melody Peace is a DP and filmmaker raised and based in the upper south with almost a decade of experience working in the camera department. In 2023 she shot the award winning documentary short “After the Flood,” covering the 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods and 1st AC’d the 2024 documentary short “The People Could Fly,” which was admitted into Black Star and Doc NYC. In addition to her documentary work, she was the 2nd Unit DP on the feature film A Christmas Pitch. When she is not on set, she keeps herself busy working on the board of Women in Film Kentucky.
Impact Campaign
We are encouraging audience members get involved in their communities to make change and spread awareness by donating to local animal shelters, fostering animals, seeking out mental health services, and asking for pet loss bereavement policies to be enacted at their workplace and in their local government policy. To keep up to date on the film and to participate in the campaign enter your email below!
Sarah Bosler 