For Immediate Release: January 28, 2025
Contact: Ryan Sedgeley,rsedgeley@endangered.org
Wolf Restoration Film Welcome Home Wins Best Conservation Film at The Portland EcoFilm Festival
Montrose, CO – January 28, 2025 – The Endangered Species Coalition with Reel Earth Films are thrilled to announce that our short documentary film, Welcome Home, has been awarded the Best Conservation Film at the prestigious Portland EcoFilm Festival! This honor celebrates the powerful storytelling and impactful message behind our film of how people across Colorado are working together to make gray wolf restoration a success.
Welcome Home explores how Colorado is taking care of our wildlife and our people through a thoughtful approach to an iconic endangered species restoration. Colorado gray wolf restoration efforts are unique because of the level of inclusive planning, support for local communities learning to live with wolves, and because the process was initiated through direct democracy via a ballot measure in 2020. The film is an inspirational message of how people from very different backgrounds and interests have come together to make this historic wildlife conservation success and how the future of the west will be determined.
Alan Lacy, director of Welcome Home, expressed their gratitude: “When we set out to produce “Welcome Home,” our goal was to create a film that not only captured this monumental moment for conservation in Colorado, but to celebrate the decision of the people within the state to bring back wolves. Winning Best Conservation Film at the Portland EcoFilm Festival extends this celebration as a victory for wolves returning to their native habitat, and it’s truly an honor to continue this celebration as part of this year’s festival.” The Portland EcoFilm Festival is one of the leading showcases for films that focus on environmental and conservation themes, attracting filmmakers and audiences from around the globe. Winning this award underscores the importance and urgency of the issues presented in Welcome Home and highlights its ability to resonate deeply with viewers.
The Endangered Species Coalition and Reel Earth Films would like to thank the festival organizers, judges, and our incredible team of collaborators, including The Volgenau Foundation; Associate Producer, Alana Helapitage; Cinematographer, Chris Fischer; Writer and Editor, Patrick Lehr. Most importantly, we extend our gratitude to the communities and individuals who shared their stories and inspired this work.
As part of the momentum from this award, we are excited to announce that the film can been viewed at select film festivals across the world with a public release planned for 2025. We invite everyone to join us in spreading awareness of this conservation success and driving positive change for the future of our wildlife.
For more information about Welcome Home, including upcoming events and how to support its mission, please visit endangered.org/welcomehome.
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