The Zookeeper's Wife[4]  is a 2017 war  drama  film directed by Niki Caro  and written by Angela Workman, based on the non-fiction book of the same name  by Diane Ackerman . The film tells the tale of how Jan and Antonina Żabiński  rescued hundreds of Jews from the Germans  by hiding them in their zoo  during World War II ,[5] [Note 1]  and stars Jessica Chastain , Johan Heldenbergh , Michael McElhatton  and Daniel Brühl .

The Zookeeper's Wife had its world premiere on March 8, 2017 in Warsaw , Poland , the location of the story, followed by the US premiere at the Cinequest Film Festival  in San Jose, California , on March 12, 2017. The film was released in the United States on March 31, 2017, by Focus Features , and by Universal Pictures International  in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2017. The film received mixed reviews from critics but a positive response from audiences and has grossed $22 million worldwide.[7] [8] [9] [10]