National Geographic WILD and Sun Valley Film Festival Launch Sixth Annual WILD to Inspire Short Film Contest
January 29, 2019
Grand Prize Winner Receives All-Expenses-Paid Expedition to Explore
Wildlife and Wild Places With National Geographic Explorers
Top Finalists Will Attend the 2019 Sun Valley Film Festival to Screen
Their Films
Contest Challenges Filmmakers to Capture Stories About Everyday
Explorers
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–National Geographic WILD, the network synonymous with exploration of the
world’s wildest places and animals, and the Sun Valley Film Festival,
presented by Ford, are excited to announce the sixth annual WILD to
Inspire contest, an open call for short films by U.S. filmmakers. The
top finalists will screen their films at the Sun Valley Film Festival,
where one lucky grand prize winner will be chosen to receive $1,000 and
a National Geographic Expedition to explore wildlife and wild places up
close alongside Nat Geo Explorers.
Nat Geo WILD is known for bringing viewers face to face with animals
across the wildest corners of the planet — but exploration means more
than climbing the highest mountain or diving into the deepest depths of
the ocean. Exploration is a mindset — which is why, in a nod to the
network’s storied history of exploration, this year’s contest is a
challenge to filmmakers to celebrate the everyday explorer. Whether
listening to new music, embracing new cultures or making a film, all it
takes to be an everyday explorer is a little bit of curiosity and
determination.
U.S. residents are invited to submit a short film of three minutes or
less using the platform Submittable. Films should feature an everyday
explorer and/or inspire others to become everyday explorers. The top
finalists, announced in early March, will receive an invitation to
attend the Sun Valley Film Festival in Sun Valley, Idaho, March 13-17,
to screen their films for festival attendees, a panel of judges and Nat
Geo WILD executives. The winner will be announced at the festival’s
closing ceremony and will receive a cash prize of $1,000 and a National
Geographic Expedition.
“At Nat Geo WILD, exploration is in our DNA,” said Janet Han Vissering,
senior vice president, development and production, Nat Geo WILD. “WILD
to Inspire is an incredible opportunity for us to discover fresh new
voices in filmmaking, who are as naturally curious about exploring the
world from behind the lens as we are.”
“Supporting aspiring filmmakers is central to our mission,” added Teddy
Grennan, executive director of the Sun Valley Film Festival. “Each year
we’re blown away by the talent and creativity that comes out of WILD to
Inspire, and we look forward to showcasing this next class of
storytellers.”
The submission period is open now through March 1. The contest is open
to U.S. residents, and all entries must be under three minutes (multiple
entries are allowed). To view all WILD to Inspire contest rules,
regulations and prizing, visit wildtoinspire.submittable.com.
National Geographic Partners LLC
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between National
Geographic and 21st Century Fox, is committed to bringing the world
premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled
portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic
television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo
MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and
consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines;
National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms;
books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include
travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and
e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our
world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years,
and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going
further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the
world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP
returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic
Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation
and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com
or nationalgeographic.com,
or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
LinkedIn and Pinterest.
About Sun Valley Film Festival
The eighth annual Sun Valley Film Festival, presented by Ford, will run
March 13-17, 2019. With a mission to empower independent filmmakers to
share the stories that inspire change, SVFF is where storytellers from
around the world come together to bring their vision into focus.
Highlights from the 2019 slate include engaging Coffee Talks with top
industry insiders; the Screenwriters Lab, presented by Variety; Nat Geo
WILD’s Salon and WILD to Inspire competition; the SVFF Film Lab,
presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Variety; fabulous parties; and
more. Past industry guests include Gwyneth Paltrow, Clint Eastwood,
Oliver Stone, Jodi Foster, Bruce Dern, Geena Davis, Mark and Jay Duplass
and more. The combination of cutting-edge programming and bona fide
insider access in a fun, relaxed atmosphere is making the Sun Valley
Film Festival a rising star in the world of destination festivals. For
Sun Valley Film Festival details and passes, visit: www.sunvalleyfilmfestival.org.
About Submittable
Submittable
powers submissions and applications around the world, connecting
individuals and organizations to do great work, together. Over 10,000
organizations use Submittable to accept, review and communicate about
content online, and more than 2.3 million writers, filmmakers,
photographers and other creatives have used the Submittable platform to
submit their work. The company is backed by local angel funds but also
YCombinator, True Ventures and Next Frontier Capital. For more
information, visit www.submittable.com.
Contacts
For Nat Geo:
Kristin Montalbano,
202-912-3244, kristin.montalbano@natgeo.com
For Sun Valley Film Festival:
Steven
Wilson, Scenario, steven.wilson@scenariopr.com
Carol
Waller, CW Communications, carol@cw-communications.com