VIDEO: First Look - Animal Planet to Premiere THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK 9/14

ANIMAL Planet will premiere the award-winning film, THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, on Wed., Sept. 14 at 9PM ET/PT as part of ANIMAL Planet Presents, the network's programming event featuring the best of films from top filmmakers that explores a wide range of topics that include ANIMAL rights, conservation and ANIMAL welfare. THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp CONTEST - the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government - which follows six artists as they compete in the most intense competition of their life. Directed by Brian Golden Davis, THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK received the coveted Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature in addition to the Jury Award for Documentary Feature at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival.

The Federal Duck Stamp CONTEST is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, simultaneously creating a uniquely American event brimming with talent, ego, art, controversy, big money and migratory waterfowl. Following wildlife artists turned competitors who strive to win "the Olympics of wildlife art", THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK brings to life the highly competitive CONTEST as one by one each artist is eliminated, leaving a winner whose life will be forever changed.

"The Million Dollar Duck is a humorous and quirky film that reveals the excitement and tension around the art competition that has brought in over 800 million dollars to protect America's wetlands . . . with a duck stamp," said Patrice Andrews, general manager of ANIMAL Planet. "This ANIMAL Planet Presents film perfectly supports our goal to galvanize our audiences around ANIMAL welfare and the environment while showing how we can positively impact the natural world."

"Some of the greatest docs ever made have been about communities and others about competitions," added John Hoffman, Executive Vice President of Documentaries and Specials, Discovery Channel, ANIMAL Planet, Science Channel "What Brian has done is bring the two of these genres together in a perfect way that makes us laugh and care. He's made wildlife artists into superstars."

ANIMAL Planet has the television rights to the film while Lionsgate will distribute THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK on digital home entertainment.

THE MILLION DOLLAR DUCK is directed by Brian Golden Davis and executive produced by multiple Academy Award winning filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris and Richard Prager. The editor is Derek Boonstra, the cinematographer is Christian Bruno and Laura Young Lee and Kye Woo Lee are co-producers.