PELHAM/BRONXVILLE, N.Y. (Oct. 19, 2023) – The Wildlife Conservation Society has partnered with the New York WILD Film Festival and The Picture House Regional Film Center for an afternoon of New York WILD’S “Best of the Fest” on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Bronxville starting at 2pm. 

“Best of the Fest” will feature five films selected from the ninth annual New York WILD Film Festival in March 2023. Films include Walking on Clouds, Haulout, Walking Two Worlds, Greywater, and Path of the Panther.

“As sponsor, WCS is proud of the festival’s remarkable ability to engage audiences in important wildlife conservation and environmental protection issues,” said John Cavelli, Executive Vice President for Public Affairs for WCS. “We are excited to work with the New York WILD Film Festival and The Picture House to bring these awe-inspiring films to Westchester.”

Clayton Bushong, Executive Director of The Picture House, said, “We are thrilled to offer this exciting new program, New York WILD’s ‘Best of the Fest,’ and to continue our longstanding relationship with WCS. The programs showcase a variety of thought-provoking documentaries which will further inform and inspire our community on the important work of WCS and New York WILD.”

New York WILD Film Festival showcases documentaries about exploration, adventure, conservation, wildlife, and the environment, bringing all things wild to one of the most urban cities in the world. Through powerful, exhilarating films and conversations, the festival presents an extraordinary opportunity to exchange ideas, celebrate the wild, and effect change. New York WILD is a platform to create excitement, identify critical issues, build partnerships, and reach audiences that care about exploring, discovering, and protecting our planet.

“More than ever, people are fascinated with stories connected to the natural world and are increasingly aware of the urgency to save it,” said Nancy Rosenthal, Founder and Executive Director of the New York WILD Film Festival. “Documentary film has become an enormously powerful and popular medium for that kind of outreach. New York WILD is delighted to bring a selection of the 2023 best in festival films and expand the impact of these extraordinary stories to The Picture House.”

“Best of the Fest” was curated from 35 films featured in the festival. The program includes Q & A discussions following select films.

Film credits and synopses, in order of scheduled programming:

Walking on Clouds

New York WILD Finalist

Director: Renan Kamizi

Brazil, 2022, 7m

This short film shows the highline crossing between two air balloons by athlete Rafael Bridi, performed at the end of 2021 in the city of Praia Grande, Santa Catarina, Brazil. He achieved the highest highline record in the world by the Guinness Book.

Haulout

New York WILD Best in Festival

Directors: Evgenia Arbugaeva & Maxim Arbugaev

U.K., 2022, 25m

On a remote coast of the Russian Arctic in a wind-battered hut, a lonely man waits to witness an ancient gathering. But warming seas and rising temperatures bring an unexpected change, and he soon finds himself overwhelmed. Nominated for Documentary Short at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Walking Two Worlds

New York WILD Finalist

Director: Maia Wikler

U.S.A., 2022, 29m

19 year-old Quannah Chasinghorse, and her mother, Jody Potts-Joseph, take a stand to defend their sacred homelands and way of life while breaking barriers in Indigenous representation.

Greywater

WILD in New York Award

Director: Daniel Lombroso

U.S.A., 2022, 15m

A filmmaker sets out to investigate a poaching ring and discovers a tangle of environmental justice issues in the New York City waterway.

Path of the Panther

New York WILD Best Conservation Film

Director: Eric Bendick

U.S.A., 2022, 88m

Drawn in by the haunting specter of the Florida panther, Nat Geo photographer Carlton Ward and a coalition of biologists, ranchers, conservationists, and indigenous peoples find themselves on the front lines of an accelerating battle between forces of renewal and destruction that have pushed the Everglades to the brink of ecological collapse.

For more information about The Picture House, please visit www.thepicturehouse.org, call (914) 738-7337 or email info@thepicturehouse.org.

Additional media contact: Kate Verni, The Picture House, (914) 426-3542 or Kate@ThePictureHouse.org

About The Picture House Regional Film Center

Housed in two historic theaters from the 1920s, TPH is a thriving regional film center providing dynamic film and education programs to a diverse and multi-generational audience in Westchester County and beyond. Across 5 screens in Pelham and Bronxville, NY, audiences see the best in new, independent, and classic cinema. TPH education programs provide students of all ages with the opportunity to learn about the art, science, and business of film. A mission-driven, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, The Picture House has two locations: The Picture House Pelham is located at 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, New York, 10803. The Picture House Bronxville is at 84 Kraft Avenue, Bronxville, NY, 10708.  Contact us at www.thepicturehouse.org, info@thepicturehouse.org, or (914) 738-3161.