Wild Life
PG-13
Run Time: 93 min.
June 8, 2023 at 7pm
Clive
Starring: Kristine Tompkins, Yvon Chouinard, Rick Ridgeway, Jimmy Chin, Michelle Bachelet
Directors: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
A sweeping portrait of conservationists Kris and Doug Tompkins chronicling their fight to preserve one of the last truly wild places on earth, this event will celebrate the role of wildlands philanthropy in protecting biodiversity and addressing climate change.
From Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, WILD LIFE follows conservationist Kris Tompkins on an epic, decades spanning love story as wild as the landscapes she dedicated her life to protecting. After falling in love in midlife, Kris and the outdoorsman and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins left behind the world of the massively successful outdoor brands they’d helped pioneer – Patagonia, The North Face and Esprit – and turned their attention to a visionary effort to create national parks throughout Chile and Argentina via their nonprofit Tompkins Conservation. WILD LIFE chronicles the highs and lows of their journey to affect the largest private land donation in history.
The film will be followed by a Q&A with international conservationists Tom Butler and Don Weeden. Vanessa Smith will moderate.
Tom Butler is a conservationist and writer who presently serves as senior fellow for Northeast Wilderness Trust. He is the author, editor, or co-editor of more than a dozen books including Wildlands Philanthropy, Plundering Appalachia, and Protecting the Wild. Tom has been a close associate of the Tompkins for two decades, serving as vice president for Conservation Advocacy for their foundation, Tompkins Conservation. He currently serves on the board.
Don Weeden is an international conservation leader who recently retired as the Executive Director of the New York-based Weeden Foundation, which supports a wide range of programs to protect biodiversity. Don has played a key role in launching conservation efforts in Chile, working closely with Doug and Kris Tompkins. He is currently on the board of Tierra Austral, Chile’s national land trust. He is a resident of Bedford and co-founder of the Playhouse Environmental Film series.
Official Selection, South by Southwest
Official Selection, Telluride Film Festival
“A warming, epic story that exemplifies how it’s not too late to make big changes.”
– Nick Allen, RogerEbert.com
“Another breathtaking journey from Chin and Vasarhelyi, one that fits snugly in their canon about indomitable rule breakers who achieved greatness and broke their barriers by persistence and unwavering dedication.”
– Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
