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The Flicks goes wild with International Wildlife Film Festival
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As part of its post-festival tour, the International Wildlife Film Festival is coming to Boise for a third consecutive year. The festival will include 19 award-winning films throughout four days beginning on Thursday, Jan. 25 and ending on
Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Flicks Theatre in downtown Boise.
The features focus on exciting displays of wildlife (one piece is about a giant leech) and emphasize the education and reification of some esoteric, yet important concepts in environmental management. From the effect of wild deer on motor vehicle maintenance and human mortality to the importance of giant sturgeon in the diet of sea lions, the festival will provide food for thought.
Education of youngsters is also an important goal of the festival and there are a few films perfectly suited for them, including the unpretentious “E is for Elephant.” This film will combine letters of the alphabet with images of African animals, providing an introduction to the nature and habits of the Dark Continent’s inhabitants.
The festival is located annually in Missoula, Montana and is the most prestigious of its kind. Coming into its 30th year, the event is known as “The Filmmakers’ Festival” because of its inviting atmosphere (this could have something to do with the fact that one of the films is narrated by a 5-year-old and another made by teenagers). An emphasis of the event is excellence in film and media, although the overarching purpose is “to promote and foster knowledge and understanding of wildlife and habitat through excellent and honest film and other media.”
Only the festival’s finalists and award-winners are included in the tour that will grace the Flicks’ screens throughout the week.
Although the word film is usually synonymous with movie, the festival celebrates the continued awareness of environmental issues in all types of moving media, including television programs for all ages and music videos. The festival is hosted as part of the Bald Eagle Days Celebration. The purpose of this annual event (this being the eighth year of festivities) is to raise consciousness of the Boise River and its tributaries. The figurehead celebration is held at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which sits in the Barber Pool Conservation area, a spot chosen for its ecological importance. Events include bird watching led by the Autobahn Society and the Idaho Fish and Game, as well as a viewing of a bald eagle aptly named Liberty.
Although the film festival will have an admission charge of $6, the event celebration is free to all community members and, like the festival, very family-oriented.
DALE EISINGER
Culture Writer
