the Meaning Of Wild

Wild Films ~ Shooting in the Wild & The Meaning of Wild

Monday, July 7, 2014 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm
  • Library Hall

Join us for an evening featuring two short documentaries that ponder "What's wild?"

The Meaning of Wild
Celebrating 50 years of American Wilderness
A film by by Ben Hamilton & Adam Andis/ 38 min.

This film was an official selection at the 2014 the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C. and the 2014 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival

The Meaning of Wild takes viewers on a journey through one of our nation’s wildest landscapes, the Tongass National Forest of Southeast Alaska. The film follows wildlife cameraman Ben Hamilton as he travels by boat, plane, kayak and foot to capture and share the true value of Wilderness. Along the journey, Ben encounters bears, calving glaciers, ancient forests, and harsh seas, but it’s the characters he meets along the way that bring true insight to his mission. The Meaning of Wild highlights never before captured landscapes while provoking reflection about their importance to us all. Ultimately, the film celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Wilderness Act and seeks to share these national treasures and inspire the next generation of wilderness advocates.
Story Behind the Film

The Meaning of Wild was conceived back in the summer of 2010, while Ben Hamilton (director) and Adam Andis (associate producer) were on a three week sailboat trip through the West Chichagof-Yakobi Wilderness.  Ben and Adam spent the summer working for the Sitka Conservation Society and got the chance to visit and explore more Wilderness than many people see in their whole lives.  It was an eye opening experience for both of them and they felt that something needed be done to celebrate these incredible places for this year's 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act. All of the filming took place in the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the United States.  The Tongass has more Wilderness areas than any other national forest and the production team traveled to five unique Wilderness areas throughout the summer and fall of 2013.

Watch the trailer

Shooting in the Wild
A behind-the-scenes look at the startling truths behind some of the most popular nature documentaries.
A film by Ed Beimfohr/ 26 min.

Shooting In the Wild

This film made its world premier at the Environmental Film Festival in Washington, D.C. and screened at the 2013 International Wildlife Film Festival

Veteran wildlife film producer Chris Palmer’s controversial book, “Shooting in the Wild: An Insider’s Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom,” has been widely praised. Now it has been turned into an insightful film. Hosted by National Geographic emerging explorer and filmmaker Alexandra Cousteau, the film peeks into the world of natural history filmmaking and shows the reality behind the lens. The film reveals industry secrets for getting the perfect shot while discussing the pervasive and troubling trend toward sensationalism, extreme risk-taking and even animal abuse.

WILD FILMS AT THE LIBRARY is a free series of award-winning international wildlife films selected from the International Wildlife Film Festival. The International Wildlife Film Festival was established in 1977 in Missoula, Montana with a mission to promote awareness, knowledge and understanding of wildlife, habitat, people and nature through excellence in film, television and other media.