Katharina Otto-Bernstein

The 2016 Champion of Animals Award was presented to filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein. Katharina has long been a special friend to ARF, supporting our events and adopting from us, but perhaps her greatest gift to ARF has been the gift of food for our animals. Since 2010, Katharina has most generously underwritten the cost of food for the cats and dogs staying at our Adoption Center while they await their forever homes. Over 1,400 animals a year have full bowls when they wake in the morning and full bellies when they go to sleep at night, and for that we could not be more grateful. Not only does Katharina provide for the animals at ARF, but she also actively supports a variety of social and cultural causes that foster sustainable and humane practices throughout the world. Katharina is married to New York City art dealer Nathan A. Bernstein. They have two children, Nicholas and Jonathan, who volunteer at ARF. 

Katharina is best known for producing the 2016 HBO documentary Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures and for writing and directing the acclaimed documentary Beautopia as well as the award-winning Absolute Wilson, a documentary and biography of much-admired theater and opera director Robert Wilson.