ONLINE: Freeland Film Festival

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courtesy Freeland Film Festival

From the Mountainfilm production "The Last Ice," directed by Scott Ressler.

An international NGO based in Green Lake, Wisconsin, and Bangkok, Thailand, hosts a virtual version of its mission-based film festival. The scheduled documentaries tackle problems such as pandemics (!), human trafficking, child labor and environmental crises. Climate activist Greta Thunberg appears in a new film, Nature Now. And a panel discussion titled "Tigers in America" (11 am Saturday), inspired by public attention to the fate of captive tigers, includes Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue (and the Netflix series Tiger King). Tickets are available at freelandfilmfest.org.

media release: In a year full of challenges, the Freeland Film Festival is taking its inspirational five-day event global for the first time. By hosting this year’s festival online, viewers from around the world will be able to join from wherever they are, uniting audiences in their hope and passion for change. Traditionally held in Green Lake, Wisconsin, the Freeland Film Festival showcases over 40 riveting documentary features, short films, and live panels with global heroes, musicians, and stars—all to raise awareness for Freeland’s vision of a world free of wildlife trafficking and human slavery.

The Festival theme of “Stories that Inspire” pairs serious subjects with hope and recovery, so viewers walk away moved to act and create change. Topics include wildlife trafficking and habitat loss; human trafficking and slavery; indigenous peoples’ sacred land rights; the changing environment and environmental farming; and the impact of our changing climate. The virtual format of the event will not only draw in international audiences, but it also allows viewers to watch the films on their own schedule, making to more accessible to many.

Last year, actress and philanthropist Jane Seymour joined Freeland to celebrate filmmakers and storytellers. “Freeland Film Festival has been an incredible experience. The films have been so moving and inspiring,” Seymour shared of her participation last year.

The third annual Freeland Film Festival will open Friday, September 11, at 7 pm Central DST, with an introduction from Steven Galster, the founder of Freeland and an environmental and human rights investigator, as he announces opening film The Last Ice, produced by National Geographic. The Last Ice shares the story of the Inuit peoples of Arctic Canada and Greenland who are fighting to preserve their ancestral ways amidst impeding colonialism, global warming and the industrial extraction of Arctic resources, which are threatening their way of life. Freeland Film Festival Executive Producer Rich Christian shared that the film’s subjects “beautifully reflect on their own personal stories and histories, and what they want to see in their futures.” A live Q&A with Director Scott Dressler will immediately follow the film, giving viewers a chance to learn more about the powerful story.

From environmentalists to travelers, dancers, and birders, the lineup of films and panels includes something for all interests. Additional film highlights include: climate activist Greta Thunberg’s new film, Nature Now, calling all of us to protect and restore nature; Flying Without Borders, the story of the common crane’s incredible migratory journey across national borders of political conflict, and refugee crises; and Zen Speaker: Breaking the Silence, a personal portrait of Amy Ayoub, a prominent political fundraiser who had been a longtime victim of sex trafficking and abuse.

Panels will feature old and new faces, including Leonard Morris, who opened 2019’s festival with his award-winning film Children of Bal Ashram. Morris will join us again this year to discuss Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who provides a home and family for boys rescued from child labor in India. Additionally, Steven Galster will share updates about EndPandemics.earth, a new global alliance working to reduce the risk of future zoonotic outbreaks by protecting and regenerating nature, plus there will be a "Tigers in America" panel, which is inspired by the recent global conversation around captive tigers, including the series Tiger King.

All-access passes, tickets to individual films, and additional details available at:

http://www.freelandfilmfest.org/

View the 2020 Freeland Film Festival trailer at: https://youtu.be/B4LqDEvO9fs

FREELAND Freeland works to protect vulnerable people and wildlife from organized crime and corruption, while revitalizing ecosystems and communities for a more secure world—with a vision of a world free of wildlife trafficking and human slavery. Freeland is an international NGO with offices around the world, including headquarters in both Bangkok, Thailand, and Green Lake, Wisconsin. Visit freeland.org for more information.