Intersectional Justice in Film and Media at SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL⌠ON LOCATION⌡ /108

Photo by Kerry Fukui

In January 2019, For The Wild was honored to attend the annual Sundance Film Festival, facilitating our social justice and environmental film, press junket liaising with filmmakers and other amazing influential folks who work with visual storytelling to share about the critical issues of our time. We were elated to speak with these creative visionaries covering so many of the topics that are near and dear to For The Wild’s heart, including: endangered species, immigrants’ rights, youth activism, ethical storytelling, decolonization, the prison industrial complex, environmental activism, and cultural protection, to name a few.

For The Wild recognizes the importance of independent media. Media has the power to obstruct or to grow our imaginations. What we consume through media, can either remind us of what is important, exercise our emotions, and inspire us or it can foster a culture of divisiveness and mistrust, feeding our insecurities and fears.

Independent media, cultural work, and the arts are vital resources in navigating this world and creating the next, and we approached our time at Sundance with healthy curiosity. We wanted to know if it's possible for films to challenge corporate ideology in high profile spaces. We wondered which topics are receiving a lot of airplay, and which are being left out? We examined who readily gets to share their stories. And we inquired, how are artists challenging us, and how do we, as an audience, need to challenge them?

We are committed to supporting independent media and to shining a light on the power of storytelling. Sundance provided a platform for so many incredible films that are bearing witness to this critical time. For The Wild is thankful for these stories and we offer this episode as an opportunity to take a peek into this world, to learn through these powerful narratives, and hopefully to inspire you to watch these films when they come to a theater near you.

Films covered in this interview include; Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, The Infiltrators, Sea of Shadows, Advocate, Words from a Bear, Merata: How Mum Decolonized the Screen, and Tigerland. Additionally, Ayana shared time with Shari Frilot, Chief Curator of New Frontier at Sundance.

♫ Music by RF Shannon and Fountainsun

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