NY WILD Film Festival for Adventure, Nature Documentaries

Special Exclusive Preview To Announce NYC’s First-Ever Documentary Festival for Films on Exploration, Adventure, Wildlife and the Environment to be Held at Tribeca Cinemas on April 7, 2011, 6-10 pm ET

NEW YORK — New York is gearing up to take a walk on the “WILD” side beginning this April–bringing the real jungle to the concrete jungle–with the announcement of the “New York WILD Film Festival,” the first-ever annual documentary film festival to be held in NYC that showcases the best films from around the world on a spectrum of wild topics–from exploration and adventure to wildlife and the environment.

To announce the launch of the “New York WILD Film Festival” a special invitational preview event will be held at Tribeca Cinemas on April 7, 2011, from 6-10 pm.

This spring’s preview event sets the stage for the festival’s official debut next year, when New York WILD is slated to premiere with an opening night gala and a special program of launch events open to the public—including 20 films, filmmaker Q&A’s, topical panel discussions, and celebrated speakers and hosts—all spanning four days in April 2012.

The WILD festival seeks to inspire appreciation for the planet and concern for its protection. Founded to celebrate the documentary films and filmmakers that engage and inform us about the world’s wild places and create awareness for the environment, this one-of-a-kind event is designed to promote dialogue and provide a framework for action, as well as entertain audiences.

Presented by “New York WILD Film Festival” Founder and Executive Director Nancy Rosenthal, this year’s media preview will be hosted by renowned adventurer, outdoorsman, field scientist and journalist Richard Wiese, the youngest president ever to helm The Explorers Club.

The evening will be comprised of a lively program of opening and closing receptions, discussions with filmmakers and experts, and screenings emblematic of key film festival categories—full-length adventure, environmental and wildlife documentaries and shorts:

• “The Krill is Gone” (4 minutes) — animated short
• “Alone On The Wall”/Sender Films (24 minutes) – full screening and Q&A with director Peter Mortimer; world-renowned free solo climber Alex Honnold
• “GREEN” (48 minutes) – full screening and Q&A with scientist Eric Dinerstein (World Wildlife Fund); Richard Zimmerman (Orangutan Outreach)
• “Plastic State of Mind” (3 minutes) – Eco-music video

Designed to appeal to a broad range of filmgoers, adventure enthusiasts, nature lovers and environmentalists, the ultimate goal of the festival is to energize audiences to explore, discover and protect our WILD. It will also serve as a catalyst for action in critical environmental issues.

The festival is already drawing support from companies engaging in sustainable practices and environmental organizations with educational outreach resources looking to help encourage better stewardship of the planet – with partners including Open Space Institute, Inc., CLIF BAR, Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic Society, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and the Earth Institute’s Center for Environmental Research and Conservation, all participating in the festival.

“WILD presents an extraordinary opportunity to exchange ideas, share passions and effect powerful change,” says Nancy Rosenthal, Founder of New York WILD Film Festival. “More than ever people are fascinated with all things connected to our planet and are increasingly aware of the urgency to save it, and documentary film has become an enormously powerful and popular medium for that kind of outreach.”

WILD is Rosenthal’s brainchild. Formerly an award-winning documentary filmmaker for National Geographic Television for 15 years and a frequent film festival juror and advisor over the years, she has created an annual forum to show New Yorkers exceptional, diverse, international films—whether it’s exciting work by talented newcomers unavailable in commercial theaters or on television, or new films by the world’s most renowned documentary makers.

Led by Rosenthal, WILD has assembled a knowledgeable and distinguished Board of Advisors, including the aforementioned Eric Dinerstein and Richard Weise, renowned filmmaker and adventurer David Breashears; National Geographic Society’s Expeditions Council Director Rebecca Martin; Environmental Film Festival founder Flo Stone; and Director of American University’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking Chris Palmer.

Just as the annual NY WILD has been designed as a collaborative forum, the April 7th event at Tribeca Cinemas will offer an opportunity for all to gather together to preview the festival, meet with organizers and advisory board members, filmmakers, adventurers, and scientists, and to interact with leaders from prominent environmental organizations, and members of the media, educational, civic and business community.
For more information on New York WILD Film Festival, visit the official website, available at www.nywildfilmfestival.com. To become a Facebook fan, join at www.facebook.com/NewYorkWILD. To obtain the latest WILD news and updates on the festival and conservation events, follow the WILD organizers on twitter.com/nywildfilmfest.

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