Wilderland at the Everyman

A brand new film festival showcasing incredible wildlife stories from around the world will take place in The Everyman Theatre.

Wilderland Film Festival promises to share stories from the natural world as it announced 23 dates in theatres around Ireland and the UK for autumn 2019. The first ever touring wildlife film festival will shine a light on some thought-provoking stories, filmed by a host of independent filmmakers from around the globe.

The nine short films were selected by a panel of esteemed judges from the world of natural history filmmaking. The event will offer audiences unparalleled insight into some of the world’s most incredible wildlife, from snow leopards to orangutans, humpback whales to African penguins.

Wilderland is the brainchild of zoologist filmmakers Dan O’Neill and Isaac Rice. The two recruited some of the most acclaimed wildlife filmmakers to whittle down a shortlist of over fifty short films to the chosen nine.

Speaking about the festival, Dan and Isaac said: “Wilderland is a platform for the new era of independent wildlife filmmakers. It will inspire everyone to think more about the natural world in our daily lives. Wilderland's ethos is that anyone can be a conservationist, and everyone has a part to play in the future of our planet.”

Judges include award-winning cameraman Doug Allan (‘The Blue Planet’, ‘Planet Earth’, ‘Frozen Planet’), naturalist and author Stephen Moss (‘Britain’s Big Wildlife Revival’, ‘Springwatch’), and producer/director Louise Heren (‘Big Cat Diaries’).

Judge and documentary maker Doug Allan said: “Anyone with a fascination for the natural world and conservation should make sure they book their ticket to Wilderland. It’s inspirational.”

Audiences will also have the opportunity to support the effort to save some of our planet's most endangered species. At each show, the audience will be invited to vote for one of five endangered species identified by the not-for-profit Wildlerlight Campaign. Votes will be counted each night and, at the end of the tour, the Wilderlight team will embark on a journey to make a film about the most voted-for species, raising awareness of its plight and encouraging support for grassroots charities working to help them. The resulting film will be premiered at the next Wilderland Film Festival and funded by a percentage of profits from the festival.

Wilderland will be at the Everyman Theatre on Thursday 17 October at 7.30pm. For tickets or further information, visit everymancork.com.