Opening night--International Wildlife Film Festival

Friday, February 24, marks the opening of the IWFF post-festival tour that runs for five consecutive Friday evenings.

Opening night features live music with Bob Laughton on the banjo and two extraordinary films that were award-winners at the International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF) in Missoula, Montana.

“Earth–A New Wild” (55 min.), one episode of the “Earth–A New Wild” series that won the award for Best Human-Wildlife Interactions at IWFF, uses advanced filming techniques to provide stunning visuals that show the world as it really is – with humans in the picture. Dr. M. Sanjayan takes viewers to Tanzania, Bangladesh, India, Texas and China to learn firsthand what animals can do for us – and we for them – to give us all a future.

“Red Wolf Revival” (24 min.) is winner of Best Short Film. It is about the last remaining wild population of red wolves. Centered on the historic recovery effort in eastern North Carolina, the film documents the multifaceted struggle to reintroduce one of the rarest animals on earth in the face of cultural, economic and biological challenges in North Carolina.

Proceeds from the film festival will benefit the Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project. The RVOEP is a special program of the Ukiah Unified School District that provides outdoor environmental education programs to over 2,000 students each year on a 45-acre woodland in Redwood Valley.