A featured film from the 2016 International Wildlife Film Festival!

Long legs, tall neck, wide eyes – giraffes are the beauties of the African savannah and they were listed at the end of 2016 as VULNERABLE on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. But there is so much more to these gentle giants: their exceptional body, their distinctive behavior, their fascinating social life. For a long time, giraffes have barely been more than decorative extras in African wildlife documentaries – because as soon as a lion appears, the camera usually follows the big cat, and leaves the giraffes behind. Seemingly, the reason is that, beside their size, these watchtowers of the savanna are not spectacular enough. Their image in the public is that of a nice, yet more or less boring creature – but when you look at them up close and personal, this is simply not true.

This film takes a fresh look at the tallest animal of all, revealing new details and exciting insights into the secret lives of these true African icons. Do giraffes communicate – and if so, how? How do they sleep? Why do they grow so tall?

There are nine subspecies of giraffes, each with its characteristic look, skin color and pattern – but some of these species are already on the brink of extinction. The film presents the giraffe up high and personal: in the savannas of Kenya and Uganda, in the South African grassland, as well as in the desert of Namibia.

The visual style is very different to the usual approach to wildlife filming: amazing and unexpected camera perspectives and a fresh way of framing. Amusing split screens and stunning points of view. Spectacular never-before-seen footage and some funny cartoon clips. All these elements add up to an extraordinary and entertaining portrait of the giraffe.

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 unde.rstanding of wildlife, habitat, people and nature through excellence in film, television and other media.